Hereafter: Two Animarum
by Meowing Goats
Summary: The continuation of Vigorous Deluge. Beyond: Two Souls, even more disorganized than it was originally, with plot being damaged and mixed up, as well as some characters from Heavy Rain! Potential crack pairings and SPOILER WARNING.
1. Meeting Mother and Other

Jodie Holmes met up with Cole Freeman in a park. She speed-walked over to him.  
"Little Princess!" He was surprised to see her as they embraced. "My, what a beautiful young woman you've become! How've you been?"  
Jodie nodded a bit and shrugged.  
"And how's Aiden doing?"  
Aiden made a noise. Cole simply nodded off at nothing, as he couldn't see Aiden. Jodie couldn't really see him either except in her dreams, but that was besides the point.  
"Did you find out what I needed to know?" Jodie asked with a fake smile, her eyes opening up to show concern.  
Cole sighed. "A woman, Norah Gray... She gave birth around the same time we found you. Her child was..."  
Jodie stared up at the older man.  
"... stillborn."  
Jodie shook her head. "She's my mother... Where is she now?"  
"... She's... She's in a hospital. They say that she burst into hysterics after giving birth... She's in a mental hospital, Jodie."  
Jodie looked like she was about to cry as she looked away from Cole. "Why...? My mother's been locked up in a mental hospital for all this time... I _have_ to _see_ her."  
"Wait, Jodie!" Cole grabbed Jodie's arm when she tried to walk away, and she looked back at him with her watery brown eyes. "Norah is in a high-security DPA facility. You're not just going to walk in there, not when the DPA might want to take you back."  
Jodie shook her arm free of him, looking stubborn and determined as usual. "I'm going to see my mother. _Nothing_ can stop me from seeing her." She was storming off, but stopped when Cole spoke again.  
"You don't really think I'm going to let you go alone, do you?"  
She smiled at the man, and together they headed toward the hospital Norah Gray was staying in.

Jodie Holmes stepped into the DPA facility with Cole Freeman following her closely. She hadn't wanted him to come with her, but he had insisted.  
"Let me try to talk to him." Cole said when she took a step in the direction of the receptionist. "I already know what room Norah is in; I know about all of the patients here."  
"That's useful." Jodie rolled her eyes and took a step back.  
Cole walked up to the receptionist and tried to play it cool. "Hello, I'm Cole Freeman of the DPA. I'd like to take my _cousin -_" Cole lied calmly. "- here to visit Norah Gray?"  
The receptionist glared at him.  
Cole looked over at Jodie.  
Jodie sighed. '_Do it, Aiden._'  
Aiden tickled the receptionist, who giggled like a French schoolgirl.  
'_DAMMIT AIDEN, BE SERIOUS!_'  
Aiden possessed the receptionist and made him open the door. Jodie and Cole hurried inside, and Aiden made the receptionist shut the door before releasing him and floating back over to Jodie.  
"We have to get past that guard now. It'll be no problem, though. We just have t-" Before Cole could finish, Aiden had already made the guard start dancing to Katy Perry and opened the door. "Or, you know, we could do that."  
The duo, technically a trio, walked into the small hallway leading to the cafeteria. The door into the cafeteria itself, however, was locked.  
"The fuck?" Jodie frowned impatiently.  
"The rooms are in the corridor to our right. Aiden will have to clear it out if anyone's in there."  
Aiden 'jumped' at the opportunity and he floated into the corridor.  
He couldn't reach the man sleeping in a chair, so he 'frowned' and started fucking shit up in the cafeteria. The man leaped out of his skin (almost literally) and walked over. Once in reach, Aiden possessed him. He walked to the door, opened it, handed Jodie the keycard, and then knocked himself out on the wall, returning to Jodie.  
Jodie smiled a tiny, cute smile. Her and Cole walked over to the corridor, opened the door, and stepped inside. The rooms all had white doors and looked pretty much the same inside; Jodie knew because of Aiden and his sudden obsession with looking into all of the rooms.  
Aiden kept checking into all of the rooms, observing the patients inside as Jodie and Cole walked in search of Norah's room, when suddenly one of the patients screamed when he peaked in and backed away wildly. Aiden retreated to Jodie quickly, hitting her with a brief wave of vertigo and pain.  
"God, _what_, Aiden?!"  
Aiden made a noise that only Jodie could understand as something like '_That one over there_.'  
Jodie slowly walked over to one of the doors and peaked inside through the little viewport. She saw a man inside who looked horrified. Slowly, he approached the window, but didn't get too close.  
"You said you know all of the patients here?" Jodie asked Cole.  
"Yeah?" Cole responded.  
"Who's this guy?"  
"Why?"  
"Aiden says that he reacted to his presence in the room..."  
Cole thought for a moment. He looked at the room number. "That might be..." Cole pushed Jodie aside gently and looked into the room before taking a step back again. "Ah, yes. This is Norman Jayden. He's an ex-FBI profiler from Washington, D.C. who went mad during his latest case. He hasn't been here very long; just came in from a mental hospital in Philadelphia a month ago after the DPA found out that he wasn't lying when he said he could see and sense things that normal humans couldn't..."  
Jodie perked up and looked at Cole. "Do... Do you think he can see Aiden?"  
Cole shrugged. "Maybe...? I don't know, why don't you ask him?"  
Jodie pulled out the keycard.  
"I was kidding, Jodie, don't you dare open that door. He's completely lost it. He murdered two people and kidnapped a child before the DPA got a hold on him."  
"He could be of use to me if he can see Aiden. Like, real use. It'd be so useful to be able to see Aiden all the time, Cole, you don't even know."  
Before Cole could even open his mouth to argue further, Jodie had already practically ripped the door open and stepped inside. Jayden backed away from her, pressing himself against the wall.  
"Can you see something with me?" She asked.  
Aiden moved away from Jodie and approached Jayden, who swatted at him in fear.  
"Holy Christ, what the fuck _is_ that thin'?!" Jayden shouted.  
"That's Aiden. He's my entity. You can see him?"  
"Ohh, I can _see_ him, alright! Get him away!"  
"Aiden, back off." Jodie commanded calmly. Aiden slowly moved behind Jodie.  
Jayden looked up at her. She could see the madness in his eyes, but she could also see the loneliness.  
"..." She looked back at Cole. "Cole?"  
"_What_, Jodie."  
"Can we keep him?" She asked with a sheepish smile, sounding as if she were asking to keep a stray kitten.  
"My God, Jodie! We came here to visit your mother, not help an insane murderer escape!"  
"Why not do both?" She looked back at Jayden. "Do... Do they keep any other clothes around? Anything you could wear to disguise yourself?"  
Jayden was silent for a moment. He looked at a door behind Jodie and to her right. "They put my suit in the'e. I could technically weah that, but the door's locked."  
Aiden broke the door open.  
Jayden stared, wide-eyed in fear.  
"Put your suit on and come with me - I'm sure that'd be better than staying here and waiting for them to test you. But just be warned, Norman. If you try anything funny, I'll let Aiden kill you."  
Jayden hesitantly nodded and walked over to the closet, grabbing his suit. Jodie looked away as he started to undress, and she stepped out of the room.  
Cole looked disapproving. Jodie simply shrugged.  
Soon, Jayden stepped out of the room as well, wearing his typical grey suit. He glanced at Cole. "Hello, Mr. Freeman." He said.  
Cole looked only a little taken aback. "So you know my name."  
"I know everyone's names." He looked at Jodie. "Yer Ms. Holmes."  
Jodie cleared her throat. "Please... Just... Just call me Jodie."  
Jayden nodded. "Yer motha' is Norah Gray, and yer fatha' is Jonathan Nichols."  
Jodie looked pleased yet surprised. "What else can you tell me about myself?"  
"Yer a CIA Op'rahtive."  
"Can we just go visit Norah now?" Cole asked impatiently, looking a little pressed for time.  
"Fine, fine..." Jodie gestured for Jayden to follow as she continued down the corridor.  
"I can't just sit here and do nothing while you let a criminal walk free!" Cole shouted.  
"Oh, just you watch!" Jodie shouted back.  
Soon, the three (not counting Aiden, who was too busy staring at some plants) found Norah's room.  
"This is her room?"  
"Should be." Cole responded.  
"It's definitely ha' room." Jayden said. "She's inside."  
Jodie reached to open the door, but Cole shot a arm out to stop her.  
"Jodie..." He said as if he were speaking to a child, which angered her. "She's pretty far gone... She might not even recognize you... Maybe you shouldn't..."  
Jodie shrugged him off and stepped into the room. As punishment, she left Jayden out there with him.  
Jodie's breath nearly caught in her throat when she saw her mother. She sat there, eyes widen open, staring into space.  
Jodie walked over and knelt before her mother, gently clasping her hands. "Mom...? Mom, it's me, Jodie... I'm your daughter..." She said.  
Her mother did not respond.  
"_I'm your daughter..._" Jodie started to cry against her mother's cold hand.  
Aiden made a noise briefly, but Jodie ignored it and kept crying until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She snapped around to look and saw Jayden backing away.  
"I-I'm sorry. I know this is pahsonal fer ya... but I heard ya cryin' and I..."  
Jodie shook her head. "It's okay... Thanks for trying to comfort me, I guess..." She sniffled.  
Jayden smiled just a little. It was a shy, warm smile, and it made Jodie wonder whether he was really crazy or not.  
Aiden made a noise again as Jodie stood.  
She rubbed her tears away. "What...? What are you trying to show me, Aiden...?"  
"He wants ya to hold ha' hands again, I think..." Jayden clarified as he stared at Aiden, watching him make bizarre gestures. He was really scared of the dark, ghostly silhouette, but he hid it fairly well.  
Jodie slowly knelt in front of her mother and held her hands. Jayden watched Jodie tense up and her eyes rolled up into her head. He stood there quietly, Aiden making a gesture as if trying to tell him to stay back.  
Jodie opened her eyes and in front of her was her mother. "... M-mom...?"  
"My little girl..."  
Jodie rushed to hug her mother, but was startled when she fell through her. "What did they _do_ to you...?!"  
"The drug they gave me... They put me into a permanent coma."  
"I... I have to get you out of here! I'll _save_ you!" Jodie was determined until her mother told her it was futile.  
"Live your own life, my sweet daughter... It's too late for me..." With that, darkness overtook her.  
"_MOM!_" Jodie cried out. Next thing she knew, she was back in the room with Jayden and Aiden. Crying, she stood and took her mother's necklace, putting it around her own neck. She walked past Jayden, who calmly turned to watch her, and opened the door a little.  
Aiden made a noise. Jodie, still sobbing a little, walked back to her mother and closed her eyes.  
Jayden watched as Aiden reached into Norah's chest, and he too shut his eyes, feeling sympathy for the poor girl and her mother before him. Sympathy... It was an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time, and it made him feel a little good just to feel it.  
"... Do it, Aiden..." Jodie said in a broken voice.  
Aiden started to press down on Norah's heart, forcing it to stop. Jodie started to cry more as her mother smiled in death.  
Jayden sighed and gulped before he slowly reached his hand out. He pulled it back, however, not wanting to seem intrusive, but Jodie turned and clung to him regardless, making him freeze up.  
Jodie cried into the ex-agent's chest, not caring that she didn't know him enough to say whether or not he'd take advantage of her now that she'd shown she was weak and in need of comfort for the time being.  
Aiden seemed just a tad jealous.  
Jayden twitched a little, making Jodie look up at him. He was staring down at her with this new look in his pale green eyes, and he sorta moved his jaw from side to side idly. It seemed to be a look of scorn, and she worried that she'd somehow offended him.  
Aiden then charged himself up, and with a blast sent Jayden flying against the wall behind him.  
"AIDEN, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Jodie screamed, trying to look at him.  
Cole opened the door quickly. "What the hell happened?"  
Aiden tried to tell Jodie that he'd noticed a change in Jayden's personality and that he knew that she would have been hurt, but she wasn't listening, and now Jayden seemed to have snapped out of it.  
"Shit, Norman, I'm sorry, please forgive me on Aiden's behalf. Are you okay?" Jodie asked quickly.  
Jayden shook his head and held up a hand as a gesture of '_Forget it_'. "I think he just saved ya the'e... Ya should be thankin' him..."  
Jodie raised a brow. "Saved me? What do you mean?"  
Jayden did another gesture, this time of '_What do you think?_'.  
Jodie was still noticeably confused.  
"Maybe I'll explain latah. We'd bettah be goin' though, befo'e that noise attracts some unneeded attention..."  
Cole looked at Jodie. "I hate to say it, but he has a point."  
Jodie looked back at her mother one last time, before she solemnly turned her head away. "Fine. Let's get out of here."

Later in Philadelphia, Scott Shelby had just been surprised with a visit from Norman Jayden and some girl named Jodie Holmes. He immediately called Ethan Mars.  
"Hello?" Ethan answered.  
"Ethan... It's me, Scott Shelby You're not going to believe who just visited me..."  
"Goddammit, Scott, stop calling me out of the blue like this."  
"Ethan! Jayden just fucking came knocking on my door! I think I have a damn good reason to call you!"  
Ethan seemed stunned. "... No, Scott. You're crazy. Norman is in a mental hospital."  
"Apparently not! Some Jodie girl broke him out. Both of them just left on a motorcycle no more than a minute ago. The girl was fucking nuts, Ethan. What if she drives Jayden further to madness than he already is?!"  
"God fucking dammit..." Ethan cursed. "I'm _done_, Scott! I'm _done_ with Jayden. I have to take care of my family right now."  
"So you're just going to let Jayden kill that poor girl and some others when she inevitably pushes one of his many intricate buttons?!"  
"He looks like _your_ brother, Scott! If you care about him so much, why don't _you_ do something about it?! Because I'm through with him!"  
"Maybe I _will_ do something!" Scott slammed the phone down and took a puff from his inhaler before breathing deeply. He cursed, slammed his fist on the desk he sat at, and pulled out his gun. He made sure it was loaded, then he grabbed his coat and hurried out the door, going straight to his car.  
'_I promised I'd help you, Jayden. It's time to finish this._'


	2. Relationship and Relationshipwreck

Jodie Holmes sat on the white couch in her apartment, watching TV. She'd taken Norman Jayden home with her despite Cole Freeman's multiple warnings, and right now he was resting his eyes on the other side of the L-shaped couch.  
The phone started to ring, so Jodie answered it.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, Jodie." It was Ryan Clayton, her... well, she supposed he could be called a 'boyfriend'.  
"Oh! Uh... Hey, Ryan." Jodie was a bit flustered, as she hadn't expected to speak with him.  
Jayden opened his eyes when she said her boyfriend's name, but he very soon after closed them again. He now looked a tad troubled, but only Aiden noticed and he didn't do anything about it.  
"So, did you get my email?" Ryan asked.  
"Uh..." Jodie looked at her laptop. It had been destroyed by Aiden earlier. "You know, heh, uh, I've been having... _trouble_ with my computer recently. What did it say?"  
Ryan sighed. "Well, it's too late now. It was about a fancy dinner date with me at a restaurant. Maybe another time...?"  
Jodie stood, her jaw dropping. "Oh... Oh shit, I'm... I'm so sorry! Uh... Why... Why don't you just come over here? I'll make dinner."  
"... Really? Okay, I'll bring a bottle of some kick-ass wine." Ryan sounded excited by the idea. "I'll be there at 8."  
"Sounds good. Bye." Jodie hung up. She was excited herself about the date, but then she grew a little bitter when she looked back at her trashed laptop. "Now I know why you destroyed my computer, Aiden. You didn't want me to go out with him!"  
Aiden made a noise in protest.  
"Goddammit Aiden, I am not yours! This is _my_ life! You need to just back off!"  
Jayden sat up and watched the two bicker with his hands clasped under his nose.  
"Aiden, for fuck's sakes! I like him, I like Ryan!"  
Aiden reminded her of that time when she was a teen when she'd been taken advantage of in a bar.  
"... Yes, I remember what happened at the bar. _Fuck you_ for reminding me. Ryan would _never_ do that! He'd never use me!"  
Jayden looked at his other self, who sat beside him, mimicking him with a smile. He looked back at Jodie and Aiden and saw that Aiden was staring at his other self.  
"Ya can see him?" Jayden asked Aiden, interrupting Jodie, who didn't realize that Aiden had temporarily stopped paying attention to her.  
"What the hell are you talking about, Norman?" Jodie asked.  
"He's lookin' at my otha' self..."  
Jodie raised a brow and allowed herself to see what Aiden was seeing. "... Norman, there's a pale ten-year-old boy next to you, not a clone of yourself... But he is copying you."  
Jayden looked back over at his other self, confused now. How could he and Aiden be seeing something completely different?  
"The boy looks like you..."  
"My name is John." The boy said suddenly in a ghostly whisper. He then disappeared.  
Jodie looked at Jayden after 'disconnecting' from Aiden's sight.  
Jayden looked at her, and they were silent until Jayden said, "Y'd bettah get ready fer yer date, right?"  
"Oh!" Jodie looked at the time and saw that she's wasted nearly five minutes of her short hour already. "Shit, yeah, you're right!"  
Jodie hurried around picking up books and trash and clothes, making the apartment presentable. She then hurried into the kitchen and looked around her cook book.  
"Hm... Asian Beef..." She muttered in thought. "Jayden?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Should I make Asian Beef?"  
"Uh... I _guess_?"  
Jodie smiled a little and got what she needed from the fridge. She reached to pick up the knife, but then it floated up and pointed at her.  
"Hey!" Jayden shouted from the doorway, having come to check on Jodie only to see Aiden pointing the knife at her.  
Aiden turned and threw the knife at Jayden, making sure it'd miss but still come close enough to startle him. The knife flew past Jayden's neck and stabbed into the far wall, and Jayden nearly collapsed from weakness in his legs.  
"Aiden, my God! You could've hurt him! Cut it out!" Jodie yelled as she stormed past Jayden, ripped the knife from the wall, and walked back into the kitchen to cook. Jayden hung around, which confused her a little. "Aren't you going to go sit down?"  
"I feel like I'd bettah keep an eye on ya. Just pretend I'm not even he'e."  
Jodie smirked a bit. "You're not going to hover around me like Aiden does when Ryan gets here, are you? It'd be harder to explain you than it is to explain Aiden."  
"I'll hide, but I won't leave the apahtment."  
Jodie turned to the stove and turned it on, making sure she had all the ingredients chopped up well. "I like your accent, Norman." She said as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Is it... a Boston accent?"  
Jayden shrugged and averted his eyes briefly. "I usually get mocked fer it..."  
"I don't see why. I think it's cute." Jodie giggled a little. "Oh... Norman?"  
"Yes?"  
"Could you try to get the frying pan out of that cupboard for me? I can't reach it without a stool."  
Jayden shrugged again and opened the cupboard. He reached up on his toes and managed to get the frying pan. He handed it to her, again with that same warm, shy smile that made her heart melt a little.  
"... Thanks." Jodie took the frying pan and set it down on the element. Jayden leaned against the counter to her left. She was only just realizing that she enjoyed the presence of another human that didn't seem scared of her, even if she did sort of force them to stay with her.  
"So... Who was that guy you spoke to in Philadelphia?"  
Jayden's smile faded. "I guess ya could say he's an old friend."  
Jodie noticed his lack of pleasure in the subject. "Okay. I just... I was just curious."  
The ex-agent smiled again, realizing that she was dropping the subject. As long as she didn't mention John, he figured he could just shrug it off.  
Jodie put in the sauce, pepper and salt, and then grabbed a bottle of sake. "Now to add some sake for taste..."  
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "J-... _Um_...?"  
Jodie poured in only a bit, which still resulted in a long stream of fire, which startled her and made her shriek. She then started to laugh uncontrollably. "I think I'm starting to _like_ cooking!"  
Jayden couldn't help but join in on her laughter. Aiden, meanwhile, was still fuming, especially as he watched Jodie bond with Jayden.  
"I'd better get myself ready. I don't have a lot of time." Jodie said. "Just wait here, okay? I have to take a shower and get dressed."  
Jayden nodded. "Su'e."  
Jodie hurried out of the room and turned the shower on. She threw the clothes she wore into the basket of laundry under the sink and stepped into the shower, trying to make it quick.  
Aiden went to Jayden and hovered in front of him. Jayden just quietly stared at Aiden, as if trying to read him.  
Jodie stepped out of the shower and put on a new black bra and pair of underwear. She went to leave the room, but realized she'd have to walk in front of the kitchen to get to her dresser.  
"Jayden?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Don't peak at me, please. I have to get to my bedroom by going by you."  
"Don't worry, I don't wanna look."  
Jodie rolled her eyes. "Oh, _thanks_!"  
"No offense...!" He said quickly.  
Jodie quickly walked into her bedroom and went to the dresser around the corner of the wall. Now out of Jayden's line of sight, she looked through her clothes.  
Aiden smashed the mirror when she decided what she was going to wear, but in response she only rolled her eyes.  
Jayden stood in the kitchen, getting bored and almost wishing he still had his ARI glasses, when suddenly the holographic wall for handball clattered together in front of him. He looked at his right hand when the ball formed, then he looked up and stared into space for a second. Could he control the ARI environment his brain had adapted more than he thought?  
The wall and the ball both faded at Jayden's will, and he smiled a little.  
'_I think I'm gettin' the hang'a this..._' He thought with a faint hint of triumph.  
Jodie stepped out of the bedroom and leaned against the door frame in a tight white top and skinny jeans. "Well...? How do I look?" She asked.  
Jayden stared. He blinked, trying to figure out if he was seeing things or not; it was true that his vision wasn't very reliable now that the ARI had fucked his brain up. "That's..."  
Jodie waited nervously for his opinion. She didn't know what kind of tastes Ryan had, but Aiden refused to comment and thus Jayden was the only other person she could ask about it.  
'_Do I look too much like a whore to him...?_' She worried.  
"It... I like it. It looks good on ya..." Jayden cleared his throat and looked away, but not to be offensive.  
Jodie smiled.  
Just then, the doorbell rang. Jodie started to panic a little.  
"Whe'e should I hide?" Jayden asked.  
"Uh... Um... Fuck, just... Just hide in my closet!"  
"What?!" Jayden's face turned a little red.  
"Do it!" She whisper-screamed at him. He quickly showed a gesture of defeat or '_why me_' and ran into her bedroom.  
She waited until she heard the closet doors close to open the door.  
Ryan stood in front of her, holding a bottle of wine. "... Hi."  
"Hi..." Jodie replied breathlessly.  
"... Can I come in?"  
"Oh!" Jodie slapped her own forehead. "Yes, yes, of course. Come in."  
Ryan stepped into the apartment and looked around briefly.  
Jodie awkwardly shuffled her feet a little. "Uh, just sit down on the couch. I'll get some glasses and something to open that bottle..." She looked at the table. "After I... set the table..."  
Ryan raised a brow.  
'_Fuck! Fuck, I forgot to set the table!_' Jodie mentally kicked herself before she rushed to set the table, lest she keep Ryan waiting for too long. She lit some candles, noticing that Ryan seemed to be getting bored on the couch as he tapped his fingers along the bottle of wine.  
She quickly rushed into the kitchen and reached for the drawer in which the bottle opener was only to have every cabinet, cupboard, and even the fridge door open loudly. She let out a quick scream.  
"Hey... Everything alright in there?" Ryan called out.  
"Yeah!" Jodie looked around for Aiden. "Dammit Aiden, cut it out...!" She put everything back in order and got the bottle opener and two wine glasses. She then went back to Ryan. "I'm sorry that took so long..."  
"It's okay... Want me to open the bottle?"  
"No, I can do it." Jodie forced the bottle open and poured the wine into the glasses before sitting next to him on the couch.  
Jayden, still standing in the closet, heard Jodie and Ryan start talking. He felt a little trapped, being locked in a closet surrounded by Jodie's clothes, but he was able to fully tolerate it until he felt a hand on his throat and realized that John was back.  
'_Get a grip... It's just yer own hand... This John charactah isn't real... Ya just gotta _relax_..._' Jayden forced his eyes shut and tried to keep calm. He was pleased to open his eyes and be able to move his own hand away from his throat. '_I can control it, just so lon' as I stay calm..._' Jayden realized as he grinned like a child.  
Jodie tried to distract Ryan from the fact that Aiden was messing with things around them, but he was getting noticeably freaked out.  
"_Quit it_, Aiden." She said through her grit-toothed smile. "Ryan, why don't we just start eating dinner? It might be getting cold."  
"... Sure. Let's." Ryan got up and started walking towards the table with Jodie.  
Aiden, fed up, found Jayden in the closet and appeared above him, where he couldn't be easily seen. He then tried to possess the ex-agent, but was instead forced back to Jodie, who stumbled and leaned against the wall.  
"Jodie?" Ryan asked.  
Jodie shook her head. "It's Aiden. He's being a jerk for some reason. Just... never mind it. I'll get the dinner."  
Aiden was confused at how he couldn't control Jayden; it was as if another entity was already connected to Jayden and had kicked him out. The entity then came to the brief conclusion that it must have had something to do with that John boy. He figured that whatever the case, he didn't really need to possess Jayden to get Ryan to leave, but it sure would be effective.  
Jodie poured the Asian Beef onto the two plates in front of her.  
"Asian Beef, right?" Ryan asked.  
"... Yeah..." Jodie looked at him.  
He could see the worry in her eyes and he shook his head. "I spent a year in Asia. I love this stuff."  
Jodie smiled a little. "I'm glad..."  
She put the pan down in the middle of the table and sat next to Ryan as they started to eat and talk together.  
Aiden forced the candles to go out, irking Jodie just a little, but she continued to talk to Ryan as if ignoring Aiden's behavior.  
Aiden kept messing stuff up until eventually Ryan stood.  
"You know, I think I'd better go."  
"Wh-...? But, I..."  
"Aiden's obviously not very happy that I'm here. Maybe we can try this again some other time, Jodie, after you talk to Aiden about him being so over-protective..." Ryan left the wine with Jodie and quietly walked out the door, closing it behind him.  
Jodie sat there quietly for a moment before she looked up 'at' Aiden. "Are you happy now? He's gone. Now I'm here in your little world, and you can float wherever you are, and watch me _cry_. I hope you fucking have _fun_." With that Jodie pushed her plate aside and started to cry against her arms on the table.  
Aiden did nothing. He was glad Ryan was gone, but he hated himself for making her cry.  
Hearing the front door shut, Jayden slowly stepped out of the closet. He could hear Jodie crying, so he quietly stepped out into the living room.  
"What a dick..." He said.  
Jodie tearfully looked up at Jayden. "Which one are you talking about? Aiden or Ryan?"  
Jayden looked at her with a gentle expression of sympathy. "I'll let ya decide fer yerself."  
Jodie looked away and rubbed the tears from her face as she sniffled. "I pick _both_..."  
Jayden walked over and sat in the chair opposite to the one Ryan had sat in, staying quiet.  
Jodie tried to calm down as she looked at Jayden and gestured at the pan of Asian Beef and the bottle of wine. "You, uh... You want some? I'd hate for it to go to waste..."  
"Uh... No... No wine, but... I'd be willin' t'give yer cookin' a try, I guess..."  
Jodie stood and got a new plate, giving it to Jayden before putting some of her cooking on it.  
Hesitantly, Jayden took a bite.  
"... How is it...?" Jodie asked.  
"... It's good." He answered.  
Jodie smiled, but only for a second. "... Did you hear anything that Ryan and I said?" She asked before she took a swig of wine.  
Jayden nodded. "Yeah..."  
"What's your take on his story?"  
"... Sounded awful fake t'me. Sounded like he was tryin' t'play with yer heartstrin's - make ya feel sorry fer him."  
Jodie was a bit surprised. "What gave you _that_ impression?"  
Jayden shook his head. "I... I used t'be a profilah in the FBI. I'm good at readin' people like that, even if it's only by voice... He just sounded like he was lyin' and playin' his cards to seem like the lonely, troubled type."  
"Like you?" Jodie joked.  
Jayden looked up at her. "... Yeah. I guess ya could put it that way."  
Jodie put her glass down. "Say... How old are you, anyways?"  
"What kinda question is that?"  
"I'm curious. You look like you're only in your early 20s..."  
Jayden nearly choked, and then he started to snicker a little. "I look that youn'?"  
"Yeah, you do."  
"I'm _35_." Jayden answered with a sheepish grin. "You?"  
Jodie stared at him, eyes wide as she weakly muttered, "... _19_..."  
"Pretty youn' t'be a CIA Op'rahtive..."  
She shrugged and looked down at her plate. "Yeah, well... They recruited me when I was a teen, against my will, too... What were you doing when you were my age?"  
Jayden thought. "I dunno... Nothin' really worth mentionin'."  
Jodie also thought for a moment. "Your parents... What were they like?"  
Jayden seemed troubled all of the sudden. "Uh..."  
"I-I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about that if you don't want to." Jodie noticed Jayden's struggle to answer, and gave him a different subject to talk about off of the top of her head. "Do you have any... Have you ever been married? Ever had a girlfriend or something?"  
Jayden only looked more troubled by the new topic.  
"_Agh_, fuck, I'm sorry... I don't know what I'm thinking..." Jodie groaned.  
"I... I've nevah been married. But I... I guess I've had like... four relationships or somethin'..."  
"Oh..."  
"They're all... all ovah, though."  
Jodie hesitated in continuing. "... Were they nice girls?"  
Jayden let out a brief "Heh."  
"... They... _were_ girls, right?"  
"... Two we'e. The oldest and the most recent..." Jayden cleared his throat, looking away and feeling ashamed about admitting to his bisexual 'relationship' history.  
Jodie was a bit flustered, unable to know what to think. "... Oh. Well... Were they all nice?"  
Jayden chuckled roughly again. "Second one abused me. Third betrayed me. Fourth turned out t'be the same girl as the fahst... and the fahst..." Jayden trailed off.  
Jodie watched him as he held his head in his hands and sighed.  
"The fahst killed my fathah..."  
Jodie's eyes widened. "M-... My God... I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't know..."  
Jayden shook his head. "It's okay..."  
"... Are you sure you don't want a little wine...?"  
After a moment, Jayden sighed and accepted the offer.

* * *

Scott Shelby drove in the direction that Norman Jayden and Jodie Holmes had gone, but he'd lost them.  
"Fuck!" He cursed.  
'_I'll find you. Don't think you've seen the last of me, bitch. I'm a private investimagatorrator, and there's _nothing_ I can't do._'


	3. Rapid Descent(s)

Jodie Holmes woke up early in the morning to the sound of the phone ringing. She looked at her bedside clock, saw that it was 1 in the morning, and groaned before quickly jumping out of bed and hurrying over to answer the phone.  
"Hello?"  
It was Ryan Clayton. "Jodie, I need you."  
"... Christ, Ryan, way to be blunt..."  
Ryan explained that she was needed for a solo mission.  
She let out a breath of disgust at the idea as she looked at Norman Jayden, who had been awoken by the phone a couple seconds ago.  
"Really? I... Fine. I'll be there. Bye." Jodie hung up on Ryan and sighed.  
Jayden yawned. "Who was it...?"  
"Ryan." Jodie stood femininely, looking bothered.  
Jayden looked at her. "What'd he want?"  
"I have a mission I have to go to. It'll probably involve leaving the city, maybe even the state. Christ, maybe even the country for all I know."  
Jayden stood. "I'm not lettin' ya go alone."  
"Norman..." Jodie put the phone down.  
"No, it's _not_ up fer debate. Ya got me outta that hospital, and ya welcomed me into yer house. I _owe_ ya. I'm not just gonna sit around while ya run off and risk yer life!"  
"Norman, you can't come with me, you know that. They wouldn't let me bring you along."  
"I was part of the FBI!"  
"You told me you were a _profiler_. I doubt profilers get the same training as someone of _my_ caliber."  
Jayden sneered, but then he relaxed. '_Dahmmit, I need to relax, or I might slit ha' throat like Madison's and not even realize it..._'  
"I'm sorry, Norman... I'm really flattered that you want to come with me, but I can take care of myself... How about this; I'll get Ryan to call you. You two can chill out until I need evac, and I'll tell him to take you along to pick me up."  
Jayden sighed. He looked worried already. "... I guess... Just... be ca'eful."  
Jodie took a step away from him as he seemed to approach. "You don't have any reason to be worried about me, Norman. We've only known each other for a couple days. Just relax here, make yourself at home... but... answer the phone in about a half hour, okay? After that, though, don't answer it at all."  
He looked just a tad hurt, but he shrugged. "O-... Okay..."  
Jodie rushed to get ready. When she was finished, she hurried to the front door. "I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone." She said confidently as she opened the door.  
Jayden still stood awkwardly where she'd left him. He shakily raised a hand, then dropped it, looking hurt and lonely.  
Jodie sighed. She quickly walked over to Jayden and kissed his cheek, making his face flush as he stared at her.  
"Thanks for being so nice to me last night and showing that you care about me, even a little..." With that said, she quickly speed-walked out the door, leaving Jayden inside alone.  
Aiden asked her what that was about, but she only smiled in response. He then asked her something else that made her stop briefly.  
"No, Aiden, I don't love him. ... Pfft. What gave you that idea? He's just... a friend, I guess."  
Aiden made a comment that he seemed like her type. Jodie couldn't tell if the remark was sarcastic or not, but she decided it was the latter.  
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, he's _definitely_ my type. Come off it, Aiden." Jodie rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Sure, maybe... Maybe he's a little _handsome_, but... he's _not_ my type, Aiden..."

* * *

Jodie Holmes sat in front of Ryan Clayton, who was giving her intel on what her mission was.  
"You need to kill Gemaal. He's a terrorist. You need to sneak in, find Gemaal, kill him, then call back to us for an escort."  
"Okay." Jodie accepted thoughtlessly, just wanting to get it over with. "But I have something I need you to promise."  
"And that is?"  
"I have a friend of mine in my apartment. I need you to bring him with you on the escort."  
"Ex_cuse_ me?" Ryan narrowed his eyes. "You want me to take an untrained man with me into the country? What if a sniper gets him or something? And since when do you have male 'friends'? Is there something you wanna tell me, Jodie?"  
"Well, maybe don't bring him on the helicopter, but at least bring him on the plane." She reasoned.  
"Still, Jodie, what you're asking me to do is absurd! I'm not even sure I'm allowed to get someone who's not a CIA Operative involved, even if it's only to bring them on the flight there and back!"  
"Ryan, no one needs to know he's there."  
"They do! Who exactly is it we're talking about?"  
Jodie stuttered. '_If I say Norman Jayden, will he know the name...? I can't take that chance - Norman isn't on very good terms with the DPA _or_ the CIA, I can bet._'  
"Well?"  
"His... His name is... Joseph." In her head, she shrugged at the name. '_It'll work, I guess._'  
"His surname?" Ryan asked, looking fed up.  
"... Joseph... Nguyen." This was the only surname starting with an N that Jodie could think of, for some reason.  
"_Joseph Nguyen_." Ryan looked skeptical. "Truly, Jodie, what's his name? His real name?"  
Jodie made herself look a bit confused at his accusation of a fake name. "His name is Joseph Nguyen."  
"Okay, fine. And what does 'Joseph Nguyen' do for a living?"  
"He's... He's an ex-army general."  
Ryan crossed his arms. It was clear that he was somewhat falling for it. "Did he work for the CIA?"  
"N-no... No, just the army..."  
Ryan sighed. "Fine. Fine. I'll talk to my boss about it and see if I can bring him along, though I don't know why you want him so much."  
"He has an ability, Ryan. He can see Aiden."  
Ryan looked at her with a brow raised. "He can see entities...?"  
"So he says. According to Aiden, he's not lying."  
"I'll be right back." Ryan hurried out.  
Jodie sneaked away and found a random payphone, calling her apartment.  
"Jodie?" Jayden answered hastefully.  
"Norman, I've managed to talk Ryan into taking you with me, at least to my helicopter."  
Jayden sounded a little relieved. "Alright."  
"But, uh... I had to lie a little. So... If he asks, your name is Joseph Nguyen."  
"... Nguyen?"  
"Shut up, Norman, I had to think on the spot and I'm not too good at that. Anyways, you're Joseph Nguyen, and you're an ex-army general."  
"Ex-a'my general?! Christ, Jodie, ya want me t'_act_ too?! He'll see right through me if I try t'pretend that I'm ex-a'my! I think I could even get arrested fer that!"  
"Don't worry. I know that Ryan will take you along either way."  
"How d'ya know that?"  
Jodie didn't tell him that she'd told Ryan about him being able to see Aiden. "I just do. I have to hang up now, or else they might think I'm giving away classified information. I'll see you in a bit."  
"Yeah..." Jayden hung up and sighed, trying to figure out just how the hell he was going to pretend to be a general. '_I'm wea'in' a goddahmned suit fer Christ's sakes... Whatevah, I guess it'll have t'wo'k._'  
Jayden looked to his left and John was beside him again, mimicking him as he had before.  
"What do ya want from me?" Jayden asked him.  
John grabbed him by the tie, and Jayden tried to stay calm. "Ya know, Nahman, it's been a while since ya've had Tripto..."  
Jayden gulped and kept his eyes shut tightly. "I'm clean. I'm done with that shitty drug."  
"Don't tell me ya don't still crave it, Nahman, because ya and I both know that's bullshit. If ya saw someone holdin' some Tripto, ya'd lose yer fuckin' mind, that's how much ya want it!"  
"That's how much _ya_ want it!" Jayden argued, still not opening his eyes. "_I_ couldn't ca'e eitha' way!"  
John tossed Jayden aside. "So the truth comes out. Ya do still want it!"  
Jayden was quiet.  
"Don't ya think that if ya take some, I'll go away?"  
Jayden shook his head. "I've learned from experience that it doesn't wo'k like that..." The ex-agent tried harder to calm down; his heart was starting to race and his hands were trembling madly.  
"Ah-ha-ha-ha... Look, Nahman, yer nose is bleedin'! How does it feel to go back into withdrawal aftah all this time '_clean_'?"  
Jayden curled up on the floor, panting and quaking. His vision was starting to act up again as he found himself in Jodie's apartment, then in the ARI canyon, then back in Jodie's apartment, and then in other ARI environments. Everything he saw looked warped, and it made his head spin and ache.  
"Don't fight it, Nahman! You need to take some!" John laughed.  
Jayden shook his head and hit it against the floor a little. He forced himself to his feet and stumbled toward the bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed his face with cold water. After nearly a minute of that, Jayden relaxed and snapped out of it. He leaned against the wall opposite to the mirror and slid into a sitting position. He then started to think about Jodie.  
'_Nice girl... But can I trust ha'? She seems t'be well-meanin', but then again, so did Madison..._' He shuddered as he remembered how he killed Madison. '_Fuck, I didn't wanna kill ha'... but I... I must've, at least somewhat, or else I wouldn't have done it..._'  
Jayden sat here for quite some time until there was a knock on the door. Quietly he walked over to the door and opened it.  
"Joseph Nguyen?" asked the man in front of him.  
"... Yes. Yes, that's me." Jayden responded.  
"I've received orders from my superiors to bring you back with me to our temporary base of operations."  
Jayden nodded. "Alright. I'm ready t'go when ya a'e."

* * *

Jodie Holmes sat in the plane across from Ryan Clayton, waiting for Norman Jayden, or rather, Joseph Nguyen to arrive.  
"So, he's really all that, huh?" Ryan asked.  
"Yeah." Jodie confirmed what she'd been saying off-screen about Jayden.  
Ryan seemed intrigued, which wasn't quite what Jodie had been going for; she had been aiming to make him jealous.  
"I can't wait to meet him." Ryan said.  
After a few minutes of awkward silence, a man stepped onto the plane. He was dressed for combat like Jodie, and because of that, it took the girl a minute to realize that it was Jayden.  
She narrowed her eyes. She hadn't told anyone that he could fight... so why did it look like he was going with her all the way?  
"I take it you're general Nguyen?" Ryan asked offhandedly.  
Jayden did a professional salute. "Yes."  
Jodie nearly facepalmed and laughed at the casual-ness of his verbal response.  
"..." Ryan stood and held his hand out for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, sir."  
Jayden shook his hand, however awkwardly. "Ya must be Ryan Clayt'n?"  
"Yes, sir. It's an honor to work with someone like yourself." Ryan shot Jodie a glare, which she raised a brow at. "Please sit down, sir. Our flight is going to begin soon. Wouldn't want you falling or something..." Ryan sat down, his last comment sounding a bit like a threat.  
Jayden sat next to Ryan at the CIA agent's unspoken request.  
"Agent Clayton?" One of Ryan's lower ranks started.  
"Yes, sir?"  
"I've received word that a Joseph Nguyen will be going with Agent Holmes for the mission?"  
"Really? Alright, that's fine."  
Jodie's jaw dropped and she looked at Jayden, who kept on a straight poker face. When the higher rank spoke, she turned her head to Ryan, though she kept her eyes locked with Jayden's. "Ryan... May I have a word with Joseph in private?"  
"Sure, why not. But make it quick." Ryan grumpily okay'd the request.  
Jodie and Jayden walked to the back of the plane.  
"The fuck does he mean you're coming with me for the whole mission?" Jodie whisper-yelled.  
Jayden crossed his arms and leaned to his side a little by moving his hip. "I told them that I had trainin' fer combat."  
"You _WHAT_?! Goddammit, Norman, you could be _KILLED_!"  
Jayden shrugged, not seeming to understand her concern. "Ya lie, I lie." He then rudely turned his back on her and walked back to Ryan. "Could I get an idea of what it is I'm supposed t'do with Jodie's help?"  
Ryan pulled out the photograph of Gemaal. "You two need to kill Gemaal - him." He said bluntly.  
Jodie watched Jayden's face, noticing that he looked confused as he stared at the picture. '_Why does it look like he's noticing something's wrong?_'  
"Uh..." Jayden sounded like he was holding back nervous laughter as his wry smile spread across his face. "I... I'm sorry... I... I just have one _tiny_ question about this."  
"Shoot."  
"Why a'e y'tellin' us to kill a president?"  
Ryan looked stunned. "He... He's not a president. He's a terrorist."  
"Yer lyin'. I know of this man. He's a democratically-elected president."  
"You're crazy, man!" Ryan laughed and nudged him a bit.  
Jayden shot Jodie this wide-eyed look. She returned it, but told him to sit with her eyes. She then sat as well.  
The plane ascended, but soon enough, Jodie suddenly ripped the side door open and jumped out of the plane.  
Jayden was shocked at her escape maneuver... yet he followed her anyways.  
Ryan grabbed the sides of the door frame, gawking at them as he watched them fall. "HOLY SHIT! THEY FUCKING _JUMPED_?!"  
Jodie looked over her shoulder as she started to slow down thanks to Aiden; Jayden was falling towards her.  
"Aiden, _catch him_!" She screamed.  
Aiden tried, but he was so caught up in holding Jodie that he missed.  
Jayden looked just a little puzzled as he fell past Jodie. '_Well... That didn't go quite as planned._'  
"_NORMAN_!" Jodie screamed.  
Jayden shut his eyes tightly as the ground got closer and closer with each passing second. Suddenly it felt as if the air around him got thicker, and he gently landed against the ground on his stomach.  
Jodie watched Jayden's gentle landing, confused, because Aiden was too stunned at what he was seeing around Jayden to speak.  
Jayden got onto his knees and looked around, confused. He saw nothing around him, or even under him, so he assumed that Aiden must have saved him somehow.  
Jodie landed next to Jayden gently as well. "What was that?"  
"I... I dunno..." Jayden watched Aiden 'point' frantically behind him. "..." He slowly turned. Nothing was there, so he gently reached his hand out. He then tore it back quickly when suddenly it felt like he'd stuck the tips of his fingers into a bucket of ice. "Wh-what the..."  
Aiden watched the man in front of Jayden disappear before he relaxed a bit.  
"Somethin' was the'e?" Jayden asked not only Aiden, but Jodie as well.  
Jodie shook her head, shoving this moment aside and hurrying to the nearby payphone. She looked like she was about to cry as she dialed a number.  
Jayden looked at Aiden, who seemed to 'look' at him as well. They sort of stared for a moment before Jayden shrugged and walked towards Jodie.  
"Nathan?" Jodie cried into the phone, speaking to Nathan Dawkins, who had been her step-father for most of her life.  
"Jodie? Jodie, what happened?" He asked worriedly.  
"They... They tried to _use_ me! They tried to make me kill an innocent man! I'm done with the CIA, I'm _DONE_!"  
"Jodie, you can't just quit like that. They'll hunt you down! Just tell me where you are, and I'll come pick you up."  
Jodie was quiet.  
"_Jodie_!"  
"Tell them that if they try to find me, I'll kill them. I'll kill all of them." She hung up before Nathan could argue, then she turned to Jayden.  
"What now?" The ex-FBI agent asked, shivering in the rain that poured down on them.  
Jodie panted a little, also shivering. "... We need to run away. Maybe we can get back to my apartment before they do somehow, and we can get coats or something."  
"Ya think so...?"  
"If we get moving right now, _maybe_."


	4. Escaping Like Professional Fugitives

Jodie Holmes sat on a train headed to god knows where. She rest her eyes, leaning her arm against the window-ledge and her head against her hand. Beside her was Norman Jayden. It seemed like he, too, was resting his eyes, but Jodie figured that he'd actually fallen asleep. She sighed as she rest until Aiden suddenly hit her with an empty water bottle.  
"Ugh..." She moaned, trying to be quiet so Jayden wouldn't wake up. "Quit it, Aiden! I'm exhausted - I need to rest!"  
Aiden left her alone, so she silently looked over at Jayden. He looked so handsome when he was asleep, at least to her. Happy that she wasn't alone with Aiden as per usual, she leaned her head against her hand again and tried to rest some more.

* * *

Norman Jayden opened his eyes. He was now staring up at a dark ceiling. He sighed, thinking that the whole mix up with the military had been a nightmare, and turned over onto his side, accepting the warmth of whoever lay beside him as he subconsciously lay his head on their chest.  
Only half of his mind realized that the chest he lay against was that of a man, so he didn't really care until he heard the man speak drowsily.  
"Norm, are you awake...?"  
Jayden nearly screamed. Instead, however, he found himself petrified, his eyes now open wide, staring at the exposed navel of Carter Blake.  
'_Oh my God._' was all the ex-FBI agent could think.  
Blake wrapped his arm around Jayden's bare shoulders, holding him close as he tried to go back to sleep. Jayden trembled in fear, wondering what the hell could have happened to result in him and Blake sleeping in the same bed.  
'_I'm shirtless... I sweah t'God, I'd bettah still have my pants on._' When he reached under the covers briefly and felt his belt still secured around his waist, he sighed quietly in slight relief. '_Okay... Okay, maybe this isn't so bad. Maybe I can just sneak out latah..._'  
Blake yawned, and Jayden felt this weird feeling in his chest.  
'_Why... Why do I feel like I... like I don't wanna leave?_' His brain gave him an answer to that question that scared him so much, that he jolted awake and found himself next to Jodie Holmes on the train they'd boarded together.  
Jodie was giving him a strange look, so he looked at her and then in front of them.  
Two cops were also giving him a weird look.  
"Ohh..." was all he could muster.  
The cops looked at their ridiculous clipboards or whatever, and then pointed at Jayden. "It's him, and she's with him! Get them!"  
"Shit!" Both Jayden and Jodie shouted in unison as they both jumped up and started running down the narrow path in the middle of the seats. They shoved their way through in a desperate escape, during which Jodie lost her coat, until they came across a hallway.  
"Aiden, break the windows! Help us escape!" Jodie pleaded with her entity, which had warned her of the cops prior to Jayden attracting their attention.  
Aiden smashed the window, and Jodie started to climb out of it. The entity then smashed a window for Jayden, but by then a cop had caught up with them. He tackled Jayden to the floor of the cab, making Jodie hesitate.  
"_Norman_!" She cried out.  
Jayden had landed on his stomach and therefore had been reminded of a certain time with Blake, so he started to scream and fight back with as much force as he could manage to bring. The cop inevitably got Jayden's fist to his face, and at that point Jayden scampered up and hurried out the window after Jodie.  
The two of them made it up onto the roof of the train together, and the rain pelted them heavily. Cops started to surround them.  
"You want to prove that you can fight, Norman?" Jodie asked with a subtle tone of sarcasm in her voice.  
"Does it look like I have much choice?" Jayden responded to her question with his own question.  
Jodie and Jayden fought the cops off until they were completely surrounded.  
"Hands on your heads!" ordered one of the cops.  
Jayden started to slowly raise his hands until suddenly, Jodie wrapped her arms around his waist and threw herself and him off of the train.  
"Aiden, I need you _NOW_!" She screamed.  
Aiden created a sort of barrier around them, cushioning their blow as they landed and the train zoomed on by.  
Jayden looked at Jodie as she stood and tugged him up.  
"Let's go. They definitely aren't going to let us go that easy."  
Jayden brought his shaking hand up to his face as his nose started to bleed. '_Oh fuck, really?! Right now, when I need to run?!_'  
"Norman? Are you okay?"  
"I... I musta... h-hit my head..." Jayden lied. "I-I'll be fine... Let's go...!"  
Jodie started to run ahead, but she turned quickly when she heard Jayden collapse to his knees after a few steps. "Norman! Come on, get up! We have to move!"  
Jayden shook his head. "I-I can't...! Go on w-without me... I'll only slow ya down...!"  
Jodie hurried over and did her best to lift and support Jayden. "I can't leave you behind, Norman! I need you, remember?!"  
"B-but..."  
"No buts, we can argue about this later!" Jodie started to move as fast as she could, pulling Jayden, who was reduced to a drunken-esque stumble, along.  
They hurried through the forest, very soon being trailed by a helicopter.  
"Fuck! It spotted us! We have to move faster!" Jodie yelled.  
"Then let go of me and run!" Jayden yelled back.  
Jodie looked hesitant.  
"Do it!"  
Jodie cursed loudly and let go of Jayden, breaking into a mad sprint. She was a tad surprised when Jayden caught up to and passed her; his long legs allowed him to run in longer strides than her, which technically made him faster than her.  
The two of them had no choice but to dive into a river that only came up to Jodie's waist, and they waded as fast as they could, being shot at by the police officers behind them.  
Jayden let out a quick grunt of pain, but kept running, so Jodie chose not to mind it.  
Soon the two made it into a clearing. They ran for the cover of the trees when suddenly two dogs jumped out at them.  
"Fuck! Oh, _fuck_!" Jodie muttered shrilly.  
Jayden backed away from the dogs, only to stop when he noticed that there were two more dogs behind him. "... I think we'll need Aiden fer this." He said in a near-calm tone.  
"You think? Aiden, _help_!" Jodie screamed as a dog jumped at her. Aiden threw it back, but it was clear that he couldn't defend both of them at once, so Jodie allowed herself to fall back and managed to find a hefty stick.  
Jayden was tackled down by one of the dogs, which snarled in his face. It kept its paws on his chest, but he boldly raised his hands to its throat and tried to choke it out... only to have another dog pounce over and bite into his arm.  
"Rrrrgh!" Jayden grit his teeth as he threw the dog on top of him away and punched at the dog that held his left arm in its sharp-toothed grip.  
Jodie hit the dog that Jayden threw away and the dog that jumped at her, feeling a bit overwhelmed.  
Jayden reached to his right and managed to grab a rock as big as his palm; he brought that rock down on the dog's head, making it yelp and run away after letting go of his arm. He could tell from the holes in his jacket that practically oozed a dark liquid that the dog had somehow managed to bite right through his three layers of sleeves and had punctured his arm. "Fuck... Jodie!"  
Jodie had been tackled by the two dogs that she fought (one had fled like the one Jayden hit), and she struggled to keep them back, using the stick.  
Jayden stood, ran over, and kicked one of the dogs in the gut, then in the face, making it whimper and scamper away as the other one growled at him.  
"Come on, ya big mutt! Brin' it on!"  
The dog barked and charged at him; he gave it a solid kick to the jaw. It fled like the others.  
Jayden rushed to Jodie and helped her stand. "A'e ya okay?"  
"Y-yeah... What about you?"  
"I'm fine. I've been hurt mo'e than this." Jayden started to walk, but Jodie remained where she stood.  
"You're hurt? Where are you hurt?"  
Jayden sighed quickly. "My left ahm. One of 'em bit down on it ha'd enough t'bite into my flesh. We don't have time to talk about this right now!" He gestured to the lights that were getting closer.  
Jodie looked around; the lights were coming from every direction, leaving them with their backs against the rock 'wall' behind them.  
"... I hope you're good at climbing, Norman." Jodie started to scale the rock wall.  
Jayden stared up at her, his jaw dropped open wide. "I... I'm wea'in' dress shoes...!"  
"That's your own fault - now get up here!"  
The police ran into the clearing where their two suspects had disappeared.  
"Where'd they go?" One asked.  
"I don't know." Another one answered.  
"Do you think they..."  
"No. Those clumsy fuckers wouldn't be able to scale that wall. ... Fuck! Get those goddamned dogs under control!" With that, they turned and signaled their men to leave.  
Once they were gone, Jayden uncovered his mouth and sighed in relief. He looked at Jodie, whose face was red, and then saw that they were tightly hold each other's hand.  
Both of them stammered nervously for a moment.  
"Let's... Let's just get up this wall before they come back." Jodie suggested and started to climb the rest of the way up. Jayden followed her quietly.  
They stopped beside a low 'bridge' over a small stream, looking up at the cops that stood there waiting for them and blocking the road.  
"Norman, look." Jodie pointed to a motorcycle. "We can use that to get away..."  
"But that cop's leanin' against it. How do we get it from him?"  
"Leave that to me..." Jodie smirked a little. "Help me out, Aiden."  
Jayden watched Aiden float over to the cop on the motorcycle and possess him. Aiden walked as the cop over to the back of one of the trucks, pulled open the trunk, and grabbed a shotgun.  
"My god, Ed, what are you doing?!" The other cops shouted and ducked for cover as their partner started shooting at the sky.  
"Come on!" Jodie gestured for Jayden to follow her as she hurried up onto the road and ran for the motorcycle. Jayden followed and jumped on behind her. Aiden made the cop shoot himself in the knee, and when he returned to Jodie, the girl started the motorcycle and drove like mad.  
Soon the duo/trio had a light shone on them from a helicopter, so Jodie turned off the headlights and drove faster.  
"Norman, are you okay?!" She shouted back at her own partner.  
Jayden had his arms wrapped securely around her waist, but his head lay heavy against her shoulder, and he seemed to be a little out of it.  
'_Aiden, heal him!_' Jodie pleaded in her thoughts. Aiden reached out to heal Jayden's left arm slowly, worried a little about startling him. Jayden didn't respond until Aiden finished healing his arm, at which point he moved his head a little and groaned.  
After a minute, Jodie suddenly pulled the vehicle to a stop and stared off into the distance.  
"J-Jodie...?" Jayden asked weakly.  
"Norman... Norman, hang onto me, okay? Don't let go."  
"Wh-..."  
"Do it!" Jodie charged forward towards the barricade of military. "_Aiden_!"  
Aiden created a shield around her, Jayden, and the motorcycle, and they magically flew over the barricade like that boy from E.T.  
"WHAT THE _FUUUU_..." The commander of the squad stared and, with his mouth agape, watched his two 'targets' land against the ground and keep driving.

* * *

Scott Shelby sat in his car. He'd become fairly lost, and now he just wanted to take a break and rest for a bit. The town he was in right now seemed sort of empty, so he was surprised when he heard what sounded like a motorcycle. He stayed low and watched, and then his eyes widened.  
'_It's that girl! Jayden's with her!_'  
He watched as a truck drove behind them and shot at the sides of the motorcycle, making Jodie flip off of it, Jayden following suit.  
"Agh!" Jodie cried out and started pulling herself and Jayden back, away from the crowd of SWAT guys that had just leaped out of the truck. "Aiden, _help_!"  
Jayden found himself in the ARI canyon, surrounded by people he'd killed and/or seen die. He felt incredibly overwhelmed, and he tried to back away, inevitably helping Jodie pull him back.  
Scott kept his head down, but realized quickly that he'd need a way to escape, lest he lose track of Jayden again.  
'_Think, think, think. I'm a private investimagatorrator - there's nothing I can't do, so therefore I can think of a way out of this car without bringing attention to myself._' Scott then had an idea. '_Good thing I keep this in the back seat..._'  
Aiden started to throw cars at the soldiers that leaped out of their vehicles, trying to create a big distraction and somehow succeeding.  
Jodie pulled Jayden back behind a car and panted from exhaustion, pain, and fear - she'd injured her leg in the fall off of the motorcycle. From the car to her left, out of the passenger side door, stepped out a bulky man with his face covered by a hat and a scarf. He wore all black, and he sneaked over to them. Jayden seemed to recognize him faintly, confusing Jodie.  
The man gestured for them to follow him before he kicked open the door to the diner in front of them.  
Jayden was the first to hurry inside, as Jodie wasn't particularly trusting of the mysterious man in front of her. He pushed her inside and closed the doors.  
"Scott? Scott Shelby?" Jayden asked.  
'_Damn._' Scott pulled off his hat and scarf. "Yeah, it's me."  
"What a'e ya doin' he'e?"  
"I... I got put on a new case." Scott lied. "A private investimagatingrating case. This happened to be a case of good timing, I guess."  
"I'll say..." Jayden leaned against Scott, making the private investimagatorrator just a little flustered.  
Jodie watched with this jealous frown, to which Scott stuck his tongue out at.  
"How's Mars...?" Jayden asked, sounding exhausted.  
"He's... Eh... Well, I can only assume that he's doing alright."  
Jayden said nothing.  
"Jayden?"  
Jayden then stood on his toes and tugged Scott down a little before whispering something in his ear.  
The private investimagatorrator looked at Jayden when he'd finished speaking, wondering if he meant what he said.  
The three people waited inside the diner until they heard a loud explosion and were nearly thrown off of their feet. Jodie led the way out, and while Jayden followed Scott to his car, Jodie walked over to the only survivor of the counter-attack.  
"Tell your men or whoever's in charge that if you come after me again, _I will kill everyone_." She snarled at the man. "Let's go, Aiden. I think they get the message." She turned and started to walk over to Scott's car as well. She was forced to sit in the backseat alone, as Jayden had decided to ride shotgun.  
Aiden noticed something different about Jayden, and when Jodie 'looked through' his 'eyes', she that the entity was practically giving himself permission to execute the ex-agent right then and there.  
'_Aiden, no! What the hell are you doing? Don't touch Norman._' Jodie scolded Aiden in her thoughts.  
After a moment of silence and Scott driving like a maniac, Jodie spoke up.  
"You know we can't stay with you, right?"  
Jayden looked at her for a fraction of a second with a look of scorn before he turned his view back to the road ahead of them.  
"I know." Scott sighed. "But I at least want to drop you two off someplace where they might not suspect you'll have gone."  
Jodie remained silent for the rest of the ride. Every so often, Jayden would mumble something, but it didn't seem like he was talking to anyone other than himself, so both Scott and Jodie let him be.  
Soon enough, Scott stopped the car. "I guess this is as far as I can take you two."  
"Thanks." Jodie got out of the car quickly, not caring where she was so long as she wasn't near that Shelby character.  
Jayden looked at Scott quietly, looking as if he weren't ready to leave yet.  
"You have to go with her, Jayden." Scott said.  
"... But..."  
"Jayden, please. I promise I'll keep an eye on you somehow. If you ever get into such serious trouble again, I'll be there, and if not, you know where I am."  
Jayden smiled just a little. "Then... I hope t'see y'around."  
"You will." Scott smiled at Jayden, the first real smile he'd done in a very long time.  
Jayden stepped out of the car, and then Scott sighed as he watched him and Jodie walk away.  
'_Be safe, John. Same goes for you, Jayden._'


	5. Glimpses into a Fracturing Past

Carter Blake paced around in the police station. He sighed impatiently, though he wasn't necessarily waiting on anything or anyone in particular. It's just that Norman Jayden wasn't in his office at a time when he regularly would be.  
'_Goddammit, where the fuck did he go, anyways?_' Blake wondered as he sat down at his desk and played solitaire on his computer. He had never been very good at solitaire, and this round was no exception. Thus, he grumbled in protest.  
"_Blake_...!" He heard a weak cry somewhere to his far right, so he looked over.  
Jayden was near the entrance to the station, wobbling and looking like he was on his last legs.  
Blake kicked his entire desk over and hurried over, making it to Jayden just in time to catch him before his legs gave out. "What the fuck happened to you?"  
"Hmmnh..." Jayden seemed a bit out of it.  
"Fuck." Blake looked around. Surprisingly, no one seemed to be looking for him, and no one had apparently noticed him rushing over to Jayden. He grinned malevolently before he picked the weak FBI agent in front of him up and walked out of the station. He then headed straight for his car and pulled the back seat door open, gently laying Jayden down before getting into the driver's seat.  
When the Lieutenant arrived at his own home, he picked Jayden back up (not failing to notice his bleeding nose) and walked inside. It was around 8 PM when Blake lay Jayden in his own bed.  
The FBI agent trembled, panted, and struggled for quite a bit to find a position in which to fall asleep without causing himself pain, and soon found that he'd have to sleep on his stomach.  
Blake watched as Jayden soon stopped panting and his trembling slowed. He left and took off his coat and shoes, and when he returned to Jayden, the agent had lulled himself into a moderately peaceful-looking sleep.  
Not exactly knowing whether Jayden was a light or heavy sleeper, Blake quietly walked to the other side of the bed and undid the laces on Jayden's shoes, pulling them off gently and placing them next to the bed.  
'_... Shit, how am I going to get his jacket off?_' Blake pondered. He moved to Jayden's side, staring for a moment at his sleeping face that was 'accented' by his bloody nose. He gently reached out and held Jayden's hand that seemed somewhat displaced - it was as cold as ice.  
This worried Blake only for a moment, then he breathed onto the hand to warm it. Though asleep, Jayden looked a bit pleased and soothed by the presence of more warmth.  
Blake was quick (though not very graceful) in pulling Jayden's coat off, then he draped a thick blanket over him.  
Jayden turned onto his side, his back now facing Blake, and he curled up a little, pulling his own head under the covers. Blake thought it was a little cute, but he still left the room, gently closing it until it was only open about an inch.

Carter Blake was sitting around at 3 AM, reading some shitty book he didn't even like, when he heard Norman Jayden weakly call for him. He hurried over and opened the door. Jayden's head was just barely extended out from under the covers, and he looked at Blake with a partially dazed look in his pale green eyes.  
"Good, you're awake. I was afraid you were dead." Blake said.  
"Wh-what time is it...?" Jayden asked.  
"3 in the fucking morning."  
"Whe'e...?"  
"My bedroom. You nearly passed out at the station, so I thought it'd be best to bring you back here." Blake responded quickly, as whenever he'd mentioned his bedroom to Jayden on previous attempts at these events, the man had retaliated in one way or another.  
To Blake's mild surprise, Jayden simply averted his eyes a bit and said, "T'anks, I guess..."  
Blake was quiet for a moment, as was Jayden. "... You never answered my question - what the fuck happened to you?" Blake asked again.  
Jayden got this cheeky smirk on his face as he looked at Blake again. "D'ya know of J-Jackson Neville...?"  
Blake's face went blank. "Yeah... Why?"  
"I went t'go interrogate him a-and he beat the f-fuck outta me..." Jayden snickered a little at this, though Blake didn't see much humor in it.  
'_Why the fuck did he go to Mad Jack so early...?_' Blake wondered, now just a tad suspicious of Jayden. "What did he do to you?"  
"S-smacked me across th'back of my skull, my tailbone and my left knee with a m-metal pipe... Nothin' outta th'ordinary..."  
"He hit you across the head?"  
"Yeah... My ears a'e still rin'in' from that..."  
"Oh shit..." Blake muttered under his breath. "What's your name?"  
"_Huh_?"  
"Just answer the fuckin' questions."  
"Blake, if I had a bad concussion, I w-wouldn't be awake right now."  
"You never know."  
Jayden sighed. "My name is Nahman Jayden. I'm a profilah fer the FBI in Washin'ton, D.C. It's Octobah of 2011. Right now I'm in Philadelphia, which is in Pennsylvania, workin' on the case of the Origami Killah with ya, Lieutenant Cahtah Blake. This is yer house."  
"How about you recite more private information." Blake asked, though it was more of a demand than it was a request.  
"Blake, ya dunno any of my private information to double-check it."  
"Damn." Blake had tried, even though he already knew a lot more than Jayden thought from the package he'd received at the end of his first attempt at getting a 'good ending'. He still didn't know who had sent the damned thing.  
"I..." Jayden hesitated before speaking further. "I met someone today though."  
"Who would that be?" Blake asked, ignoring Jayden's tiny smile.  
"I... I dunno his name. But he was really nice t'me. He looked pretty sad, though."  
Blake cursed and slammed the door against the wall, making Jayden jump.  
"_Christ_, Blake, what-"  
"How is it that you two _always_ meet?! I went out of my way to make sure that you two wouldn't run into each other!"  
Jayden seemed confused, and it was right for him to be, as he had no current knowledge of the repetition in this hectic story.  
"_Fuck_! This is such _bull_shit, Norm! Don't tell me you like him already!"  
Jayden cleared his throat and his pale face went a little red. "I dunno _what_ I think of him..."  
"You're a fucking _liar_, Norman! I can see it _all over_ your fucking _face_ - you're head over _fucking_ heels for him and you don't even know his fucking _name_!"  
"Ya su'e like that word, don't ya, Blake?"  
"SHUT OFF AND FUCK UP" Blake stormed out in rage.  
Jayden was left alone in the room, and he tried to think. He felt like he recognized the man he'd met.  
'_What in the world is his name...?_'

* * *

'_... Mars. His name is Ethan Mars._'

Norman Jayden jolted awake, gaining a look of concern from Jodie Holmes, who sat across from him.  
"Can't sleep?" She asked in a hoarse, weak voice.  
Jayden remembered their current situation and leaned his head against the wall behind him, not caring that his neck was now exposed to the cold winter air. "Had a nightma'e."  
Jodie struggled to stand, beginning to walk down the snow-covered street.  
Jayden followed suit, stumbling after her and keeping his arms close to himself to preserve body heat.  
After a minute of aimless stumbling, Jodie's legs buckled, and she fell forward, unconscious.  
"Oh fuck...!" Jayden hurried over to her, trying to shake her awake. "Jodie, wake up...!"  
Jodie remained unconscious. Aiden fought off some dark mini-entities that were clawing at her, but Jayden couldn't seem to see them for some reason.  
Jayden cursed under his breath and gently grabbed Jodie, trying to pull her along until he slipped on the ice that coated the road leading into an alley.  
A man that had been digging through a dumpster looked over quickly when he saw Jayden, holding Jodie, slip.  
"Please..." Jayden tried to get onto his knees, but only managed to land on his stomach. "Please, help us..."

* * *

Norman Jayden was left alone in Carter Blake's bedroom. He supposed he was staying _here_ instead of the hotel now - Blake always dragged him back here.  
Blake had also made subtle yet blatant moves on Jayden. First it had been simple affectionate glances, and now it was occasional gropes.  
Jayden had been held back tightly by the possessive Lieutenant, so it had been a while since he'd seen Ethan Mars. Last he heard was that he was suspected of being the Origami Killer. From what little Jayden had to go on, he figured that for the time being, he'd believe the accusation.  
Jayden was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the front door open. It was dark outside at this point, and Jayden had an idea.  
'_I am _definitely_ gonna regret this in the mornin'._' He thought to himself as he pulled out his ARI glasses and glove.  
Blake pushed the front door shut and locked it with a sigh. He hoped that Jayden was still in the house, but he didn't bother to check - instead, he went straight to his desk. He tossed down the package of printer paper he'd bought. He wasn't even sure why he needed it, he just did.  
He threw his coat onto the chair carelessly, and when he turned, his heart nearly stopped. "Fuckin' Christ, Norm, you scared the shit outta me."  
Jayden stood in the doorway. He had on his ARI glasses and the glove that went with them, and he took a step forward, his mouth closed tight.  
"... Norm?"  
"Ssh." Jayden suddenly approached in long strides, and he wrapped his arms over Blake's damp shoulders.  
"Uh..."  
"Don't talk. Just be quiet. I'll lead." Jayden then held one of Blake's hands, outstretched, and started playing the lead role in some sort of slow dance to music that he alone could hear.  
"Norm, you're fucking _nuts_." Blake masked his concern with an insult, but Jayden chose not to hear.  
The FBI agent was no longer in Blake's house, or even with Blake at all. He was on a dimmed Mars, dancing with none other than Ethan Mars. A piano that even Jayden couldn't see played a familiar tune to their choreography, and the mysterious butler whose identity evaded Jayden watched from afar.  
Ethan slowly started to remove the suit jacket that Jayden wore. Jayden didn't resist, and instead pulled Ethan a little closer to himself.  
The father of Shaun Mars leaned forward, beckoning for a kiss, and Jayden leaned forward himself to give it.

* * *

Jodie Holmes slowly awoke. She was on a mattress of some sort, and her head was laying against the lap of Norman Jayden, who was absentmindedly messing with her hair.  
"She's awake." Jayden said to someone Jodie hadn't seen yet. She looked over and saw a man.  
"Hey. My name's Stan. What's yours?"  
"J-... J-Jodie."  
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jodie."  
Jodie glanced up at Jayden. He didn't look like himself from his cold, calculated facial expression.  
"Norman...?"  
Jayden gazed down at her silently.  
"Is something wrong...?"  
"Yeah." He responded quietly. "The situation we're in."  
Jodie raised a brow, as Jayden had never been one for complaining about anything other than the ruthless cold and rain. Still, she shrugged Jayden's strange response off and turned back to Stan.  
"Where are we...?"  
Stan shrugged. "You're at my... place, I suppose."  
Jayden gently pulled his legs out from under Jodie's head, making her miss the warmth they'd given her until her head came into contact with the much softer mattress.  
The ex-FBI agent wandered off. Jodie looked at Stan again.  
"Has he been acting strange...?" She asked.  
Stan shrugged again. "How should I know? He isn't a very talkative guy is all that I can tell. Didn't say anything after I offered my help until you woke up. He just sat there making strange gestures like he was playing handball or something."  
Jodie sat up, a little concerned about Jayden. "Th-... Thanks for helping us... but I wish you _hadn't_ saved me..." She said to Stan in a depressed voice before she stood and tried to follow Jayden.  
Jayden was standing at the edge of the distant landing, a hand on his temple as if he were experiencing some sort of headache. He wobbled on his feet, and Jodie panicked for a moment, thinking that he might fall forward and plummet to his death onto what she presumed to be a highway.  
Slowly she started to walk over. "... Norman..."  
He barely even gave her a second glance, and she wondered if she'd irked him somehow.  
"Norman, are you okay...?" She asked weakly when she got closer, close enough to reach out and grab him if he lost balance. "You're acting odd and you look like you're in pain..."  
"I'm fine." He said quickly, a hand still on his temple.  
"Honestly?"  
"... I'm just... I'm just not feelin' so great. I feel like I'm gonna be sick. Please... just leave me alone fer a bit..."  
Jodie sighed. "At least sit... I'm scared you might slip..."  
Jayden shook his head. "I feel bettah standin'."  
Jodie sighed once more in defeat. "I hope you start feeling better soon..." She started to walk back to Stan, but then stopped and looked back at Jayden.  
'_It's like his personality's changed a little... Aiden, please don't tell me something's wrong with him..._'  
Aiden wasn't completely sure what she meant by that, but he examined Jayden regardless. He noticed something he figured was unnatural going on with the tissue in Jayden's brain, but it wasn't something he was capable of doing anything about, and besides, it didn't seem like something fatal to him. It had been something he'd noticed from day one, and it had become more noticeable, but the entity thought nothing of it, as it still wasn't 100% knowledgeable on human life and its processes.  
Jodie was washed with a minor wave of relief when Aiden told that he had nothing to report. Now a little less worried, she returned to Stan.  
Jayden stood where he was, looking down at the traffic below him, though he wasn't really seeing. He looked to his left. A tiny holographic blue tank was rolling up to him. The agent felt the left side of his body twitch, including his face, but just kept staring at the small tank.  
The tanks were the one thing that Jayden couldn't will away, no matter how much composure he had.  
The tank aimed its gun up at his head. Not a single tank had ever fired at Jayden, but they always aimed at him the moment they became stationary. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jayden constantly wondered what would happen when one of them actually shot at him.  
He and the tank's gun entered a bit of a staring contest while the pain in Jayden's head only got worse - it felt like he was being stabbed over and over in his brain, and it didn't help his stomach. He hadn't eaten in a while, because, unbeknownst to Jodie, nothing he'd eaten recently was able to stay down - always he'd puke it up in a fit of nausea after a few hours.  
He figured that all of this had to do with his addiction to his ARI and Triptocaine. Often, he shrugged these horrible conditions off as being minor side effects of long-term Triptocaine withdrawal, and he was content with that explanation.  
Jayden averted his eyes from the tank, now scared that he was about to start hallucinating again. "No, not again... _Please_, not again..."  
"Um... Sir?"  
Jayden whipped his head around to stare at the tiny voice that had called him. Behind him was a redheaded woman. She looked young and tiny, though her bulging middle was a clear indicator of her pregnancy.  
"Is everything okay...?" She asked gently.  
"... Yes." Jayden responded in a shaky voice. He was trembling from the pain in his head, surprise, and cold, and he just couldn't find it in him to add stability to his voice.  
"Uh... Alright, if you say so..."  
"I'd like t'be alone fer a bit, miss... Thanks fer checkin' on me, though..."  
"My name is Tuesday." The girl replied.  
Feeling off-balance suddenly, Jayden heeded Jodie's advice and sat down. Despite Jayden's quiet request, Tuesday sat next to him, both of them now dangling their feet over the edge of the landing.  
"What's your name?" Tuesday asked.  
Jayden looked at the girl. She looked exhausted, and she seemed like a nice girl - he could tell just by staring at her. That and the rest of her personal information. He still wasn't sure how he should be reacting to his ARI-like eyes.  
"... Nahman. My name's Nahman..." Jayden struggled to say. It was getting difficult for him to concentrate in that moment for some reason.  
"Norman?"  
"Yeah."  
"That's a nice name..." Tuesday smiled warmly at him.  
Jayden only trembled in response. He gazed down at his hands as they started to tremble. '_Fuck... Mo'e withdrawals..._'  
"Are you alright, Norman?"  
"Mmn." Jayden grunted a little in response. "Uh... Tuesday, was it...?"  
Tuesday nodded.  
"Could... Could I be alone he'e...?"  
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you... did you come sit here to be alone?"  
Jayden nodded a little.  
Tuesday stood. "Well... You're welcome to speak to any of us if you need anything, Norman." The girl then walked back to her little section of the 'shelter'.  
Jodie sighed, and Stan reached out and pat her shoulder.  
"Are you worried about your friend?" He asked.  
Jodie nodded. "He's only been getting worse since I met him..." She said quietly, needing someone to talk to but not wanting anyone to overhear. "He keeps looking sicker and sicker, and he refuses to tell me if anything's wrong..."  
Stan gently held her, and she accepted the gesture of kindness happily, crying into his chest a little.  
"You and your friend can stay with us if you want." Stan offered.  
Jodie nodded. "Thank you... Thank you _so_ much..."


	6. A Desperate Duet

Norman Jayden stared at the sleeping form of Carter Blake. From what little he remembered, they hadn't gone far that night. They'd only returned to this room and... perhaps made out? It was all hazy for Jayden, and he was a little grateful to that fact. Jayden, gently as possible, slipped himself out of Blake's grip and got out of the bed, picking up his dress shirt and tie before returning his ARI to his chest pocket.  
He quietly stepped out of the room and went downstairs with his shoes in his hands, going to the living room where his suit blazer had been dropped.  
His hands started to shake, and instantly a feeling of dread washed over him.  
Blake awoke a little when he gradually began to notice the lacking of Jayden's warmth in his arms. He opened his eyes to find that Jayden wasn't even in the room anymore, which nearly set him off. Almost instantly afterwards, he heard the front door being closed in a rush, and he leaped out of his bed.  
"Goddammit!" He hurried and got his shirt on before practically kicking the bedroom door open to follow Jayden.  
Jayden ran outside, shaking all over from his craving for Triptocaine. '_I could take it... I could take some right now... I-It's right the'e in my pocket... Ooh... I... I... I gotta...! I gotta take some...!_'  
The FBI agent stopped in his tracks and pulled the tube of Triptocaine out of his pocket, staring at it lustfully.  
"_NOR_MAN!" Blake yelled behind him, having caught up quickly.  
Jayden looked back at the Lieutenant and backed away. "Stay back!"  
"Norman, chill the fuck out. Put the drug away and come back inside."  
"No, Blake."  
"Do it." Blake demanded harshly.  
"_NO_, BLAKE." Jayden replied with equal harshness.  
"Goddammit, Norman, get the fuck back inside!"  
"SHUT THE _FUCK UP_, BLAKE!" Jayden snapped. "YA REALLY DON'T GET IT, _DO YA_?!"  
"What the _hell_ are you ranting about, Norman?!"  
Jayden put a hand on his head, trying hard to think of something to respond with. His world was spinning, it was hard to concentrate, to even think, and -

* * *

"Norman?"  
Norman Jayden snapped out of his thoughts and glanced up at Jodie Holmes. She looked terrible, but that was to be expected with how long they'd spent homeless.  
"Norman, are... are you okay?"  
Jayden could only nod. His head was still aching like hell, and he still couldn't concentrate too well.  
Jodie was still really worried about Jayden, but she said nothing. "Anyways, Stan... I think we should split up... Doesn't make sense for both of us to be in the same place..."  
Stan nodded a little. "Are you going to take Norman with you?"  
"He'll stay close by. Right, Norman?"  
Again, Jayden only nodded. At this point all he really wanted was warmth and absolute silence around him.  
Jodie started to walk, Jayden following in a bit of a stumble. Eventually the girl walked by a burly man leaning against a building.  
"Hey~." He called out. "You lookin' to make a few quick bucks?"  
Jodie stopped. "What would I have to do?"  
"Just do me a bit of a... '_favor_'. I'll give you 10 bucks for it."  
Before Jodie could even consider it for a moment, Jayden caught up and started dragging her away.  
"_Hey_!" The guy shouted. Jayden didn't stop pulling Jodie along, and luckily it seemed that he therefore narrowly avoided getting into a fight.  
"Thanks." Jodie said. "I would rather take my chances out on the street naked than do that."  
"Don't say that. If that we'e th'case, ya wouldn't have _enehthin'_ t'offah enehmo'e."  
Jodie gave Jayden a strange look, but Jayden didn't respond to it.  
Soon enough, Jodie stopped Jayden. She walked over to a man. "Is... Is this your guitar...?"  
The man nodded. "Nearly froze my fingers off trying to play it... You're welcome to try if you'd like..."  
Jodie picked up the guitar and sat down, leaving room for Jayden to sit next to her. "Do you know how to play, Norman?"  
Jayden shook his head. "... Do ya know how to, though?"  
Jodie shrugged. "Only one way to find out..." The girl tuned the guitar to her preference and started strumming. She started to sing, and it made Jayden shudder, as she reminded him of his mother all of the sudden.  
A few people here and there stopped, but only about a third of them left small tips. Jodie kept playing, but she truly did look disappointed and near tears.  
She was surprised, however, when Jayden started to sing along, however quietly. She nudged him a little, trying to goad him into singing louder, and after about three or so nudges, he raised his voice a bit, creating a fine harmony for her. The guy who sat next to them seemed surprised by their musical ability, and soon a crowd had gathered to hear them sing.  
When it had become dark outside, Jodie stopped playing. Jayden had stopped singing a little earlier, as his voice had given out and begun cracking.  
Jodie stood and placed the guitar down, picked up the tips they'd gathered, and handed a bit of a fair share to the man who'd let her use the guitar. He nodded at her in gratitude.  
"Come on, Norman... We should go back now..."  
Jayden nodded and forced himself to stand. He stumbled over to Jodie like a wounded dog returning to its master, making Jodie worry more about his physical health.  
"Norman, truly, are you okay...?"  
Jayden nodded. "I'm just ti'ahd..."  
The two of them started to walk, Jodie helping Jayden along so they could move a bit faster.  
"I had no idea you could sing so well." Jodie said.  
"Neitha did I..." Jayden chuckled weakly. "Ya really think I did alright...?"  
Jodie nodded. "It was amazing."  
"No, yer guitah playin' was what made the pahfahmence amazin'..."  
Jodie's cheeks became a bit hot at the flattery, but she said nothing more.  
When they returned to Stan, Jodie looked down at him. "How'd it go...?"  
Stan shook the tin can he'd been collecting in and dumped out a few cents. "Not great. Is..." Stan gestured at Jayden.  
Jodie shrugged a bit.  
Stan sighed. "How'd it go for you two?"  
Jodie revealed the money they'd made, and Stan jumped up.  
"My God... Jodie, where'd you get all this cash...?!" He asked in a hushed voice.  
Jodie, again, shrugged a bit. "I found this guy's guitar... He let me use it, so I played and Jayden started to sing, so..."  
Stan was clearly ecstatic. "This is wonderful. This is amazing! Absolutely _amazing_! I could _kiss_ both of you!"  
"Please don't." Jayden muttered, making Jodie struggle to hold back laughter to no prevail.  
"Thank you, Norman. I needed a good laugh." She said to him when she'd calmed down.  
Jayden smiled a little, but gave no verbal response.  
"Wait here. I'll go buy some food." Stan rushed across the street and disappeared in the supermarket.  
Jodie leaned Jayden against the wall while they waited.  
"... Norman? Are you still awake?"  
Jayden had his head leaned against Jodie's shoulder. He grunted quietly in response, but seemed to be nodding off.  
Jodie decided to let him rest for a bit - Jayden had been having trouble sleeping recently, she knew that much.  
She was content and happy, happier than she'd been in _weeks_. Then Stan stepped out of the store... only to be attacked by some punks.  
"Oh, fuck! Norman, wake up! Stay here!"  
"Out of the question." Jayden was already as alert as he could be at this point.  
"Fine, come on!" Jodie started running towards the punks as they kicked at Stan, Jayden following close behind.  
"Oh, look, the old man got himself a girlfriend _and_ a boyfriend! Bisexual two-timer, huh? _Nice_." One of the punks said.  
Jayden was about to try using psychology to talk himself out of a fight when he was hit over the head from behind with a plank.  
Jodie watched with wide-eyes as Jayden fell to his knees, then onto his stomach. "Norman!"  
"Awww..." The leader of the punks mocked.  
"You fucking _assholes_!" Jodie threw herself at the leader, punching him in the face and proceeding to kick the shit out of him. She'd only just realized that she'd forgotten the others when Jayden was suddenly up and fighting again with almost tenfold the amount of brutality she'd figured he'd ever fight with. She actually could've sworn that heard Jayden break one of the punk's arms.  
Jodie and Jayden beat all of the punks until they fled, at which point Jodie turned to Jayden.  
Stan watched as Jayden stared away from her with a lethal posture.  
"Nice fighting, N-" She didn't have time to finish, as Jayden lunged at her, a homicidal look in his pale green eyes. She nearly screamed, but almost more-so when Jayden was hoisted up into the air and began choking, clawing at something invisible around his throat.  
"AIDEN, _NO_!" She screamed in protest. "PUT HIM DOWN _NOW_! YOU'RE GOING TO _KILL_ HIM!"  
Aiden argued his point, trying to get through to her that Jayden was going to kill her if he put him down.  
"_PUT HIM DOWN_!"  
Trying to show her that he was right, Aiden dropped Jayden. Jayden fell over and started coughing and gasping for air. Jodie rushed to his side.  
"Oh my _God_, Norman, I'm _so_ sorry! Are you okay?!"  
He shook his head. "I... _He_ was gonna hurt ya..."  
"Huh...?"  
"I couldn't control myself the'e... Don't blame Aiden fer attackin' me like that, he saved ya again... I'm the one who should be sorry..."  
"What in the world just happened...?" Stan asked timidly, confused by what he'd just seen.  
"I'll... I'll try to explain later. Let's just go back inside. It's over with now..." She turned to face Jayden. "Right?"  
Jayden nodded. "I _think_ I'm okay now..."  
Stan decided to forget about the last few seconds. "You two kicked their asses. Where did you two learn to fight so well?"  
Jodie helped Stan up. "I learned in the military."  
"And you?" Stan asked as he looked at Jayden.  
Jayden didn't reply right away. "Uh... I... I guess I just... learned on my _own_... somehow..." His head was spinning, and now it was nearly impossible for him to focus.  
Jodie helped Stan gather the groceries he'd bought before she went over to Jayden and helped him up.  
"I'm... I'm so... so _ti'ahd_..." He muttered weakly.  
"How hard did he hit you, Jayden?"  
Jayden didn't reply, now drifting back into his thoughts.

* * *

- he just felt so goddamned _angry_ all of the sudden.  
Carter Blake took a step closer to Norman Jayden, tried to get close enough to restrain him without alarming him.  
"I said stay back!" Jayden shouted.  
So much for not alarming him.  
Jayden's nose started to bleed, and he looked back at his Triptocaine.  
"Goddammit, _Nor_man! Listen to me! Don't take that shitty drug!"  
Just despite Blake's demands, Jayden brought the tube up to his left-hand nostril, the one that wasn't bleeding.  
"NORMAN!" Blake stepped forward and tried to smack the tube out of Jayden's hands.  
Jayden stepped back, effectively managing to avoid Blake's wild swipe, and snorted some of the drug into his body. Almost instantly, pleasure overtook his body. He panted out of relief that the tremors, the pain, and the anger were gone.  
"FUCK! GODDAMMIT, NORMAN!" Blake shouted. "THAT SHIT'S GONNA _KILL_ YOU IF YOU KEEP TAKING IT LIKE THAT!"  
"Well that's just none of yer goddahmned business, isn't it, Blake?" Jayden countered. "Now don't stress me out, or I'll have t'take _mo'e_..." The agent couldn't contain his excited shudder at the thought of taking more.  
Blake snarled, but otherwise heeded Jayden's advice. '_Looks like I'll need to find another way to get my warning through Norman's thick fucking skull. Hopefully I can find out how before he overdoses..._'  
Jayden put the drug back into his pocket and looked at Blake. "I'm gonna go fer a walk."  
"No, you're _not_." This was a typical response Blake gave to anything Jayden said he'd do that could involve slipping away with Ethan Mars. This time, though, he added more. "We still haven't caught that Mars guy - the Origawmi Killer. He might hurt you."  
"I'll be _fine_, Blake. I have a few leads I'd like t'covah myself."  
"No, Norman. It's too dangerous. I'm not going to let you go alone."  
"Blake. I _said_ I'll be fine." He revealed a white cellphone. "If I have any problems, I'll call ya, okay?"  
"I want you to call me even if you get a fucking _paper-cut_, you hear me? If you see Mars, too."  
Jayden nodded. "Fine." In truth, he was willing to halfheartedly agree to _anything_ just so long as it got him away from the possessive police Lieutenant.  
"Go for a fucking walk then. But be careful. You _hear_ me, _Nor_man? _Be_ careful."  
Jayden nodded again and started to walk through the rain, pulling his coat tighter against himself.

* * *

Norman Jayden turned his head at the feeling of slight warmth to his left. Jodie Holmes was there, holding out a can of food for him.  
"I..." Hesitantly, he took the food. Even if he did vomit it up later, he certainly wouldn't pass up the offer of something to warm his freezing hands with.  
Jodie sat next to him, and together they watched for a moment as traffic drove by under them. "You really like this spot, don't you, Norman...?"  
Jayden shrugged a bit.  
"... Aren't you going to eat?"  
Jayden couldn't think of a way to respond in time.  
"Hurry and eat before it gets cold..."  
Still, Jayden didn't even bother to try eating it.  
"... Why don't you come sit with the others and I over there and eat? It'll warm you up." Jodie offered.  
"I'm fine... Go sit with them, Jodie..."  
Jodie frowned. "... Well, uh... The offer's still open..." Slowly and with great hesitance, Jodie left Jayden alone and returned to the others.  
"He's not coming over here?" Tuesday asked.  
Jodie shook her head. "He doesn't want to for some reason..."  
Jayden sat alone, hearing the droning noise of quiet conversation behind him, and he shivered from cold. He looked down at the food Jodie had given him.  
'_... Heck. Why make them think it's a waste t'feed me...?_' Slowly, Jayden started to eat.  
Jodie learned the back-stories of her new pals. "Your baby..." She asked Tuesday. "Is it going to be a girl or a boy?"  
Tuesday shrugged. "I'm not sure. But her or she is due very soon..." She rubbed her bulge lovingly.  
Everyone was surprised when Jayden walked over.  
"Uh... It got coldah ovah the'e... Can I...?"  
"Yeah. Sit down, Norman." Stan said. "There's a chair somewhere over there, I think."  
"T'anks..." Jayden walked away and came back with a chair, sitting next to Jodie as he timidly ate.  
"So, why are you two out on the streets like us?" Stan asked.  
Jodie glanced at Jayden for a moment before she spoke. "We, uh... got into some trouble with the military." was all she said, not bringing Aiden into this.  
"Stan, what happened to your face?" One of the others asked.  
Stan nodded a bit for some reason. "Got jumped by those punks. Hell, if it wasn't for Jodie and Norman, I'd _still_ be out there. They opened up a massive can of whip-ass on those little shits."  
The three other homeless fellows seemed pleased and applauding, but Jodie noticed Jayden hang his head in shame. For the time being, she decided she'd say nothing about it.  
Luckily, Stan had apparently truly forgotten about Jayden attacking Jodie and being lift up by the throat by Aiden, as he didn't mention it for the rest of the night.


	7. Norman Jayden's Memories

Norman Jayden was sitting in his office at FBI headquarters. He was looking through folders, box upon box, searching for a file he'd misplaced.  
He was about to give up when he heard a knock on the door.  
"Door's open." He said.  
In stepped a female secretary. "Mr. Jayden, the boss would like a word with you."  
Jayden suddenly felt nervous. He stood. "Okay..." As he walked, he wondered what the boss could possibly want with him.  
Slowly, the agent stepped into his boss' office, only to find that another man was in there. He must never had noticed the guy before, because it seemed like he was also working for the FBI here in Washington, D.C.  
"Norman, this is Jack Reilly. Jack, this is Norman Jayden." The boss briefly introduced them.  
Reilly stood and turned to face Jayden, and the second their eyes locked, Norman felt something in his mind click and go wild. Reilly must have felt it too, judging by the surprised expression on his face.  
"... Are you two alright?" The boss broke the nervous silence between the two agents.  
Jayden cleared his throat and nodded.  
"Yeah." Reilly said. He held his hand out toward Jayden. "Nice to meet you, Norman."  
"Uh..." Jayden stammered a bit. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous all of the sudden, or why his heart seemed to be doing cartwheels in his stomach. He reached out and shook hands with the somewhat-taller man. "Nice t'meet ya too, Jack..."  
Both men turned to face their boss.  
"Sit, you two, sit." He said.  
However awkwardly, both agents sat on chairs next to each other.  
"Both of you have been making such incredible progress in your work. We're all very impressed."  
"T'ank ya, sah..." Jayden said. Reilly watched Jayden, but seemed to be too wrapped up in that to respond to their boss' compliment.  
"... So that's why we've chosen you two to test our latest piece of equipment." The boss revealed two pairs of sunglasses and slid them over.  
"... _ARI_?" Reilly read off of the side of the pair he grabbed. Jayden examined his and saw that his said the same thing.  
"The _Augmented Reality Interface_. It will allow you to examine and collect evidence ten times as fast as you do now. That, however, doesn't go without saying that it could be dangerous..." Slowly and discreetly, the boss slipped over two boxes filled with little light blue tablets.  
Jayden shot him a look. "Is... A'e ya givin' us... _drugs_...?"  
"It's called Triptocaine. It's only used to counteract the effects of the ARI, considering there are any on you two. Trust me, you two. If everything goes as planned, you might not even need to take the drug at all. I'm just handing a single box to both of you as a _precaution_, that's all."

* * *

Jodie Holmes was awoken in the middle of the night by Stan, who looked frantic and panicky.  
"What...?" She groaned.  
"It's Tuesday!" He cried. "She's gone into labor!"  
"What?!" Jodie jumped up, waking Norman Jayden, who was beside her, from his slumber.  
Stan gestured for them to follow, and they did, only to find Tuesday rendered nearly incapacitated by contractions.  
"Norman, Jodie, you two come with me. We've got to find a way into the supermarket. The others will help Tuesday into an abandoned building we know of. Come on, quick!" Stan started to run, and Jodie followed, but Jayden took another long moment to stare at Tuesday before he ran after them.  
The three of them stopped running when they got to the front of the supermarket. A metal shutter had closed behind the door, and there didn't seem to be a way in.  
"Fuck! _Fuck_!" Stan was panicking.  
Jodie hushed him. "Just hold on."  
"What...? What are you talking about?"  
"Hold on!"  
Aiden peered into the supermarket. He smashed a security camera, then he searched under the counter that the cash register was on until he found a little switch.  
Stan watched in awe as the metal shutter rolled up. "H-how...?"  
"Just get what we need! Hurry!"  
Stan nodded and ran inside, leaving Jodie and Jayden to look out for anyone's presence.  
"Norman, are you alright?" Jodie asked, noticing the empty look on Jayden's face.  
Jayden nodded weakly. "I... I was just dreamin' of someone I used t'know..."  
Jodie held him a bit, but it only seemed to make him feel awkward, so she let go.  
After a minute or two, Stan ran out of the supermarket with a bag full of stuff he figured they'd need. "Come on! I know where the guys should've taken Tuesday - we've gotta hurry!" The man started to run, so Jodie followed him as Jayden trailed along close behind her.  
One of the others came out of a building and led them over, so the three of them ran inside.  
"She's upstairs!" He said and pointed the way. Stan ran up the stairs first, rushing into a room to find Tuesday on the floor screaming and gasping in pain.  
"Tuesday!" Jodie ran over to the young woman.  
"I WANT _JODIE_!" She screamed. Everyone seemed puzzled, even Jodie. "I WANT _HER_ HELP! EVERYONE ELSE; _BACK OFF_!"  
The men, including Jayden, hesitantly left the room, leaving Jodie and Tuesday in there alone.  
"Come on, Tuesday..." Jodie said nervously. "Come on, push! You're doing great!" She turned on a portable heater and put some blankets underneath Tuesday's torso as she pulled the girl's jeans off.  
Jayden looked around at the other men around him, all looking tense, as he slid down with his back against the wall. He was still so exhausted, so weak... and besides, he'd been having a nice dream that he wanted to continue. So he allowed himself to curl up a bit, bringing his knees to his chest, and began to doze off.

* * *

Jack Reilly wandered around the FBI headquarters until he found the office of who he was looking for; Norman Jayden. They'd both been taught a little of the ARI's controls, and had been left to their own devices for the time being to get the hang of it.  
He knocked on the door before letting himself in just in time to see Jayden taking off the glasses.  
"Oh... Hey, Jack..." A smile crept on Jayden's flawless face as he gazed at Reilly.  
"How's... How's the ARI going for you?"  
"... Fine. Is somethin' goin' on with yers?"  
"No, everything's going fine. I was just curious."  
Jayden seemed to think about that for a minute. "Ya don't think I'm the type fer electronics, do ya?" He asked with a smirk.  
Reilly squirmed a bit. "... Well, ... No offense."  
Jayden chuckled, making Reilly's cheeks turn a little red. Such a cute chuckle.  
"Honestly, I'm not so great with electronics. It's like they pahp'sly go outta their way t'not wahk fer me." The shorter agent replied.  
"... About your accent, Norman..."  
Jayden seemed to be made uncomfortable. "... Wh-what about it...?"  
"I really like it. Is it... a Boston accent?" Reilly asked.  
Jayden shrugged, a small smile returning to his lips.  
Reilly let out a brief sigh, and then he leaned over the computer at Jayden's desk so he was closer. "Norman... Are you busy tomorrow night?"  
Jayden looked a little surprised. "Uh... No. No, not... Not that I know of... Why?"  
"What would you say about coming over to my house tomorrow night?"

* * *

Norman Jayden was awoken again by Jodie Holmes when she stepped out of the room and called him and the others in.  
Jayden used the wall as a support to get to his feet - his leg had this tingling sensation and it felt awfully weak, so he had to limp into the room after the others while Jodie gave him a concerned look.  
Lying on the blankets was Tuesday. In her arms, she held a beautiful little baby that was crying its eyes out.  
"She's _beautiful_..." Stan remarked, staring at the little child.  
"Her name is Zoey..." Tuesday panted, a smile spread across her sweat-covered face.  
Stan and the others turned to Jodie and Jayden.  
"You two are our Christmas miracles." Stan said.  
Jodie smiled and held Jayden's hand, looking at him with her glossy brown eyes, and Jayden smiled back... yet, for some reason, he felt like something was wrong with this picture. Like he shouldn't be there. He shook it off for the time being, and decided to just let himself try to act happy for once.

* * *

Carter Blake paced around in the police station, bored. No one seemed to have any leads on where Ethan Mars had gone, which worried Blake.  
'_Fuck, what if he and Norman have run off somewhere? Fuck! I'm so fed up! I just wish he'd fuckin'-_'  
Blake's phone started to ring.  
'_- call me...?_' The lieutenant answered the phone. "Hello?"  
"B-B-... B-_Blake_..."  
"Norman?! Norman, what the hell's going on?!"  
Jayden sounded like he was on death's door. For a long moment, he didn't reply, and then Blake heard the sound of Jayden's phone falling over.  
"NORMAN!" Blake screamed, not caring that he was starting to get some strange looks from his co-workers. "_NOR_MAN, FUCKING ANSWER ME! _ASH_!"  
Ash poked his head out from the trashbin he apparently lived in. "Yes, lieutenant?"  
"TRACE NORMAN JAYDEN'S CELL RIGHT NOW! TELL ME _EXACTLY_ WHERE HE IS!"  
"Uh, that could take some t-"  
"NOT ANOTHER FUCKING WORD; I WANT HIS PHONE TRACED _10 MINUTES AGO_! NOW _MOVE_!"  
After some amount of time that Blake felt was too long, Ash returned. "He's at the Blue Lagoon for some reason."  
"Norman, hang in there! I'll be right there!" Blake said into the phone, which he hadn't hung up, before he threw it down and ran for his car. '_Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck!_'  
The aggressive Lieutenant drove like mad to the Blue Lagoon, basically welcoming himself in.  
"Hey!" A bouncer shouted at him.  
"I'm a fucking cop." Blake yelled at him before flashing his badge. "Did an FBI agent come by you?!"  
"Yes." The bouncer answered timidly.  
"Where the fuck did he go?!"  
The bouncer meekly pointed upstairs to a door. "He went into Paco's office."  
"Thanks, fuckhead." Blake shoved past anyone who was in his way and hurried up the stairs. He flashed his badge to the man at the door and hurried into the hall. The door in front of him and to his right was wide open, and he practically jogged over.  
"Oh my God... Norman!" Blake rushed over to Jayden, who lay still on the floor in the trashed office, a katana stabbed into his lower back. Inches from his hand was his white cellphone, the battery for which had recently died.  
"_Norman_!" Blake slapped the agent's face a bit, trying to get some sort of reaction.  
The reaction he got was nothing - Jayden stared vacantly off into the distance with his now-lifeless light green eyes.  
Blake shed a tear. It was too late now... He pulled out his gun and placed it against his own head, ready to restart... when suddenly Jayden made a faint sputtering noise.  
He was still alive!  
"Oh my fucking _God_, Norman!"  
"B-_Blake_...?"  
Blake quickly grabbed Paco's phone and called for an ambulance, not caring what leaving Jayden alive after this would do.

* * *

"Norman! _Norman_!" Jodie Holmes screamed at the top of her lungs, shaking Norman Jayden. He wouldn't wake up, and she was in a bit of a tight scenario... that being the fact that the entire abandoned apartment building was now an uncontrollable blaze.  
Slowly, Jayden's eyes drifted open. He was greeted with the color orange, and he was puzzled in his daze.  
"Norman, wake up! The building's on fire! We have to get everyone out of here!"  
Jodie ran for the door to leave the room, and she stepped out, but she stood out in the hall, half waiting for him and half listening for any cries for help.  
Jayden tried to jump up to his feet, but he nearly cried out in pain as he collapsed to his knees. He felt a horrible pain in his back, and he reached his hand up under his shirt to feel that he now had a painful bandage-covered scar on his lower back.  
"Wh-what the heck...?" He decided he'd have to worry about the sudden appearance of this seemingly-random scar/wound later, and he managed to stumble up to his feet, following Jodie out into the hall.  
"Are you okay? I heard you yell."  
"I'm fine. Is enehone trapped elsewhe'e?"  
"I heard someone screaming in this room over here, but I can't open the door!"  
"Then let Aiden do it!"  
"Oh _yeah_..."  
Aiden broke the door open, and out stepped Stan and that other guy.  
"Thank god! We were trapped in there! ... Tuesday, Zoey, and that other guy!" Stan shouted, having forgotten his own friend's name. "They're all still upstairs!"  
"We'll save them! Just get outside!" Jayden told them as he started up the stairs despite the weakness of his leg and the pain in his lower back. Jodie followed him like mad up the stairs when they suddenly smashed under her weight. She then wondered how much Jayden weighed, as it seemed he weighed less than her.  
Jayden caught her hand and managed to pull her up.  
"Phew... Thanks, Norman."  
"Come on, we have t'move."  
The two of them hurried around the upper floor, listening in. The drug addict guy broke through the wall and survived without them, so his existence was therefore somehow pointless.  
"HELP!" Tuesday screamed from another room as she held the bawling Zoey close. Jodie was first to reach her, and when she did, she led her out to Jayden.  
"Come on, we've gotta find a way out!"  
"Jodie!" Jayden seemed to be trying to snap her out of something as she headed for the stairs. "The fuckin' stairs a'e gone!"  
"Oh yeah. How high up are the windows?"  
"Way too high fer all of us t'sahvive th'jump!"  
"Aiden, break the window!" Jodie pleaded. Aiden obeyed, and the window smashed. "Jump!" She told Tuesday.  
"A'E YA _CRAZY_?!" Jayden protested.  
"Aiden will help her! Just _jump_, Tuesday!"  
With a scream, Tuesday jumped, ready to protect her daughter from the worst of the fall damage. Aiden eased her down, and the others gawked in awe of her gentle landing.  
"Go, Norman!"  
"No, Jodie!"  
"Go, _now_!"  
With a slight grumble, Jayden was next to jump out the window. Aiden eased him down, too. Then Jodie jumped, but Aiden missed her and she cracked her neck on the snowy pavement.  
I kid.  
Jodie landed gently, and everyone applauded her except for Jayden, who still didn't look particularly amused.  
Suddenly, a pain shot through Jodie's head, and she lost all feeling in her legs as she fell to the ground.  
She could hear the punks that had attacked Stan behind her, laughing and mocking her until she saw Jayden's feet stride quickly past her head and heard him start a big fight.  
"FUCKIN' _ASSHOLES_!" Jayden roared at them, referring subconsciously to Carter Blake. He charged at them, allowing himself to just go completely berserk on them again - they definitely deserved it this time.  
One of the punks started to walk towards Tuesday, and Jayden lunged at him.  
"DON'T YA FUCKIN' _DA'E_ TOUCH _HA'_, _OR_ _HA' BABY_, YA MONSTAH!" He screamed at the punk as he tackled him down and started punching him. Jayden hadn't been paying attention to the others, so he was surprised to be whacked in the side of the head so hard that he practically flew off of the thug below him, turned about 90 degrees to his right, and somehow ending up beside Jodie. The blow to the head had completely petrified him, and apparently her own strike had petrified her as well, as they just sort of stared blankly into each other's eyes.  
The punks had apparently had their share of fun, as they could be heard leaving, and then Stan and the others rushed over to Jayden and Jodie, all looking horrified as one of them ran off to call an ambulance when puddles of warm blood started to melt the snow between the two 'heroes'.

* * *

Jodie Holmes awoke with a jolt. She had been 'going towards the light' when Aiden forced her back into reality despite her desperate yells of how she wanted to stay with him.  
"Aiden... _Why_?" She asked.  
Aiden replied, telling her that she had a life of her own to live and that people were still waiting for her.  
The girl ripped off the cords connecting her to the EKG to her right, and then she stood.  
The last thing she remembered was the smell of fire... and pale green eyes staring blankly into her own as the two of them lay in the snow.  
Even though her memory was foggy, it only took Jodie a few seconds to remember who those eyes belonged to, thanks to Aiden.  
"_Norman_..." She looked around the room, but there was only one bed. Perhaps he had been put into the room next to her.  
The girl stumbled into the bathroom and looked into the mirror to see that she'd been shaved bald, and from the corner of her eye she could just barely see a painful-looking scar on the back of her head. She remembered getting hit over the head and hearing Norman Jayden flip his shit, and in response she decided that she really needed to see the ex-FBI agent.  
She walked over to the door of the room and opened it quickly (but not before snatching her clothes out of the room's closet and wondering why hospital staff kept leaving stuff around for her). She saw that two CIA-looking guys were at the front desk asking about her and Jayden, so she rushed into the room beside her own. She paled a little as she stumbled over Jayden.  
Norman Jayden lay still on the bed, his eyelids darkened drastically by what must have been a severe paling in his skin tone. He was connected to an EKG as well as another machine, and yet another that was giving him oxygen through a mask. He also looked a lot thinner, and it looked to Jodie as though he'd been starved - she thought she could somewhat see an aspect of shallowness in his cheeks. Not to mention, he was as unconscious as ever.  
Strangely enough, his head had not been fully shaved, as if that were too strange a thought for someone. This made Jodie a little jealous, but then again, she found the thought of Jayden bald strange too, so she was a tad grateful.  
Jodie weakly stumbled to the end of the bed, looking at the little record clipboard there. She read what it had to say, and right then and there started to cry a little as she hit her head against the base of the bed.  
"Fuck... _Fuuck_...!" She cried quietly. She could hear the men getting closer, but the receptionist was making them hesitate for some reason.  
She had to leave, but it was safe to say that Jayden was unable to follow her for the sake of his own health... not that the clipboard had said that he _could_ get better.  
Jodie thought about that for a second. She realized that she had no intention of going back to being alone with Aiden, not after all she'd been through with Jayden.  
It was probably very selfish of her to do what she had in mind, but she didn't care.  
"Aiden, help me."

The two CIA agents in search of Jodie Holmes were taken to her room, only to find it empty - her clothes were gone from the closet, too.  
"Where is the guy's room?" One of them asked the receptionist harshly.  
"Next room to the right, but he's not physically capable of getting up and leaving, because he has a t-"  
The agents didn't even bother to let the receptionist finish as they barged into Jayden's room. They found that Jayden's clothes had been taken out of the closet here, and the 'insane' ex-FBI agent had been detached from the machines keeping his condition stable. The window was open.  
"Call for backup. She's escaped." The other CIA agent told his partner.  
"Th-that's not even... I don't see how-" Again, the receptionist was left alone in the room, but this time he pondered how it was possible that both the girl and the guy had survived, and considering they did, just how long it'd take for the guy to keel over and die without medical attention.


	8. Flashbacks of True Love

Jodie Holmes awoke in a daze. She remembered getting knocked out by a crowd of CIA guys trying to escape with Norman Jayden in her arms.  
"Goddammit..." She sat up in the chair she'd been placed in. That was when he realized she felt hair over her shoulder. Turns out they'd given her a kickass wig that was just her hair color. "Sweet."  
Jodie looked over her right shoulder, and her eyes came to lay upon Norman Jayden, who was laying on a leather couch that was nearly identical to the chair she sat in if one disregarded shape and size.  
She remembered that what she'd had to see and go through getting his suit back on him, and her face turned a little red. She cleared her throat, though.  
'_Dammit, I told myself I'd stop thinking about that._' Quietly, she stood from the chair and looked around. From the design on the floor, she could tell that they were in a new DPA facility, so she cursed a bit before she walked over to Jayden, kneeling next to him and holding his cold hand.  
It looked like he was still out cold upon first glance, so she sighed. "Norman..."  
"Nn... J-... Jo-... -die...?"  
Jodie's head shot up to look at Jayden as he forced his eyes open just a little.  
"Oh, god, Norman. I was so worried that you weren't going to wake up again..."  
"Wh-..." Still, Jayden seemed way out of it.  
Jodie pat his arm a little, however gently, then she briefly stroked his dark brown hair. "Get some rest, Norman. I'm going to go try to figure out why we're here."  
"J-Jodie...!" Jayden used what little strength he had at the moment to shoot his hand out, and he grabbed Jodie's arm as she stood and turned to leave.  
Jodie looked back at him, seeming a little surprised.  
"A-a'e ya... okay...?" He asked, looking genuinely considered and acting as if the fight with the punks had just ended (which for him, could technically have been true).  
Jodie teared up a little and hugged him carefully. "I'm fine, Norman." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that he had something wrong with him, something dangerous... at least, not yet. She fully intended to tell him later, when/if he regained more strength. "Rest, Norman. You look exhausted..."  
Jayden nodded weakly, and when Jodie laid him back down against the couch, he closed his eyes.  
Jodie stood up and went to the door. Before she opened it, she turned back to take one last glace at Jayden.  
'_I sure hope it's safe to leave him behind..._' With a quiet sigh, she walked out into the hallway.  
From the thick windows, that's where she saw it. The giant golden-black rift to Aiden's world, making it look sort of like she was in a giant spaceship going through some sort of warphole.  
"Most powerful rift in the entire world right now." said a voice from behind her. "Isn't it impressive?"  
Jodie whipped around to see Nathan Dawkins behind her. She hugged him with a smile as he lead her back to his new-ish office.  
They sat down next to each other in front of the desk.  
"Jodie, the CIA has a proposition for you."  
"No." Jodie replied sharply.  
"At least listen to what they're offering before you shoot it down. If you accept, they'll let you go and help you get a home of your own."  
Jodie shot him a glare. "What about Norman?"  
Nathan sighed and moved Jodie's fake hair a little. "Sweetheart... He's insane."  
"He's _not_!" Jodie shouted as she stood. "I really don't see where that keeps coming from! He's actually the only sane person I know!"  
Nathan stood as well. "Besides, Jodie, even if he wasn't a psychopath, he needs medical treatment." He handed Jodie a sheet of medical records taken on Jayden recently.  
"I've already seen them, and I don't care. He's staying with me no matter what." Jodie growled.  
"So you'd rather go back out on the streets? You know that Norman won't survive very long out there now, admit it. He needs to be taken care of, and if you really cared about him, you'd let him go."  
Jodie shook her head. "I know I'm being selfish, but I won't ever be alone with Aiden again. Ever!"  
"Jodie..." Nathan sighed.  
"I won't do it."  
"Jodie, you'll be saving so many _innocent_ lives... Norman's included, if you so strongly believe that he's sane."  
Jodie gulped and looked away, beginning to succumb and leaning towards accepting.  
"... We'll let you bring Norman along if you really need him."  
Jodie was sold.

* * *

'_What's the worst that could happen?_' Norman Jayden wondered as he stopped his car in front of Jack Reilly's expensive home. He got out and the doorman asked who he was.  
Jayden cleared his throat a bit. "I'm Nahman Jayden... Jack's expecting me...?"  
"Ah, yes. Step right in, Jayden. He's in his suite."  
Jayden stepped into the 'lobby', sighing in relief. He was so nervous, but he wasn't 100% sure why.  
The FBI agent slowly reached out to call the elevator. He hadn't brought his ARI - in fact, he hardly even used it. Why bother with a fake reality when the true reality was so perfect?  
The elevator came down quickly, and Jayden stepped inside. It took him up to the narrow hallway leading up to Jack door, and he stepped towards it. He gulped and adjusted his tie, but before he could even knock, Jack opened the door.  
"Norman! I heard the elevator, and I had a feeling it was you. Come inside!" Jack happily said as he stepped aside to let Jayden in.  
Jayden timidly stepped into the nice-looking suite and looked around. "This is a real nice suite ya've got, Jack..."  
"Thanks. Come with me into the lounge, Norman. I have something to show you."  
Jayden followed Jack to a piano.  
"Do you know how to play?" Jack asked.  
"Uh, n-no... Only a little. I'm not that good at it."  
"Do you want to learn?"  
"Geez, Jack, that'd take quite a bit of time..."  
"Not really. Watch this." Jack walked over to a dresser and opened one of the drawers, pulling out his ARI. He walked back over to Jayden and sat down at the piano. When Jayden sat next to him, he said, "I don't have the faintest idea how to play."  
However, despite this, Reilly put the glasses on and proceeded to play beautifully.  
"Heh, yer lyin' t'me, Jack. Ya clearly know how t'play."  
"I really don't!" Jack laughed. "It's the ARI, Norman. Sure, it's for work, but it has a fun side to it as well."  
Jayden raised a brow. "Should ya really be usin' it fer fun, though? I mean, it's... it's not a toy..."  
"Come on, Norman..." Jack rubbed Jayden's arm a little. "You're not afraid of the ARI, are you?"  
"I just have a bad feelin' about it, that's all." Jayden replied.  
"Don't worry about it, Norman. Come on, pull yours out, and I'll show you how to play Handball."  
"Uh..." Jayden's thought process stumbled.  
"... You _did_ bring your ARI, right?"  
Jayden hesitantly shook his head. "I didn't think I'd need it..."  
Reilly shrugged. "I'll let you use mine. Controls are the same, after all."  
"Uh... Okay..." Jayden shrugged. He carefully took Jack's ARI and put it on, finding himself in a fancy bar. "Wow..."  
"You're liking the place I chose for myself?"  
"Yeah. It's nice."  
After teaching Jayden how to access the three games available in the ARI and how they worked, Jack showed Jayden how to play the piano, teaching him the composition he'd been playing before.  
Jayden played it with skill unbeknownst to him, accompanied by a large grin on his face.  
Eventually, Jack took his ARI back and returned it to its drawer.  
"Now... Would you like some wine?"  
"Oh, I... Sure." Jayden smiled warmly at his partner. When Jack left him, Jayden stood and timidly went over to the balcony that had been behind him.  
The night sky only added to the beauty of the glorious view of D.C. Jayden's breath was practically taken away as he stared off into the distance, at the lights of buildings in said distance.  
"Great view, huh?"  
Jayden turned lethargically to see Jack behind him, holding two glasses of wine. Jayden reached out and took one, then he turned his view back to the city, Jack now standing beside him.  
Jack, somewhat shyly, draped an arm over Norman's shoulders, pulling him closer to himself. Jayden gave him half of a glance and a small smirk.  
"It's a bit chilly out here, and I know how much you hate the cold, Norman." Jack said as an excuse.  
Jayden snickered a little as he nuzzled his head against Jack's arm, making the other FBI agent a tad flustered.  
"It's been a lon' day..." Jayden said.  
"Do you... Do you want to stay over for the night, Norman?"  
Jayden paused for a moment to think about that offer. Then he smiled. "Only if yer su'e I won't be a bahden."  
"You could _never_ be a burden to me, Norman..."  
It was as if a magnetic pull were dragging their faces closer together as their eyes locked, as soon enough, they were holding each other and kissing romantically. Jayden's heart felt as if it had leaped from his chest into his eyes and head - his rational thoughts disappeared and were replaced only by thoughts of his new lover. Jack felt the same way about Norman in that instant, so the kiss continued, its intensity slowly growing.

* * *

Cole Freeman grumpily opened the door to the room in which Norman Jayden had been left. He walked over to the couch that the ex-FBI agent was laying on and looked down at him.  
"Poor bastard... He looks so happy. I almost feel sorry to have to wake him up." Cole muttered to himself. With a sigh, he shook Jayden ever so gently. "Hey, time to wake up."  
Jayden was greeted with the resurfacing of the pain in his head when he awoke, so he groaned due to that and disdain at the fact that he'd been awoken from his happier memories. He cracked his eyes open, weakly shielding them from the light, and he saw Cole's information appear before him.  
"Ah, Mr. Freeman..." Jayden cleared his throat, surprised at the hoarseness of his voice. Cole helped Jayden sit up.  
"Though I'm completely against it, I'm supposed to take you to Jodie so both of you can be prepared for a mission..."  
"I'm goin' with ha'...?" Jayden asked, looking a bit pleased.  
"Sadly."  
Jayden ignored his lack of enthusiasm as he forced himself to his feet, wobbling. He overestimated the strength of his legs, however, and proceeded to collapse to the floor.  
"Don't push yourself all at once, Jayden." Cole only snickered as Jayden struggled to get back up to no avail.  
"Wh-why am I so weak...?" Jayden asked no one in particular.  
"You mean no one's told you?" Cole asked, a brow raised.  
"Told me _what_...?"  
Before Cole could answer, Nathan Dawkins walked in.  
"What's going on here?" Nathan asked.  
Cole shrugged. "He tried to stand on his own."  
"Christ, Cole, help him up."  
With a grumble, Cole helped Jayden to his feet and kept him steady.  
Nathan stepped in front of Jayden and cupped the ex-FBI agent's chin, making him look at him.  
"We have high expectations for you, Jayden. Don't let us down."  
Jayden's only response was a twitch in his face, as his head was hurting worse now.  
Nathan watched a small tear of blood roll down from Jayden's right-hand eye and sighed. "Get a tissue, Cole."

* * *

Jodie Holmes sat in the chair, being bored out of her mind with instructions. Not soon enough for her tastes, Nathan Dawkins walked in, holding the hand of Norman Jayden, who stumbled along behind him, holding onto the other man's arm for support. She gave Jayden a smile, and her heart warmed a little when he smiled back.  
Nathan released Jayden after the ex-FBI agent had sat himself in a chair to the left of Jodie, and then he himself sat in a chair to Jodie's right.  
"So, Jodie..." Nathan began. "Has the general told you about the rest of your team?"  
"My _what_?" Jodie didn't look pleased.  
Nathan sighed and paged for them to step in. Jodie turned to see Ryan Clayton and his two partners or whoever, and she scowled. Jayden noticed and turned to look, also giving a brief scowl.  
"You all need to get ready. Follow me; Jayden can be briefed on the way there." Nathan stood and walked out of the room with the others, leaving only Ryan, Jodie, and Jayden inside.  
"Look, Jodie, I'm sorry about before." Ryan said gently.  
"Get the fuck away from me." Jodie stood and stepped away from him.  
Ryan stepped closer. "I said I was sorry..."  
"Hey! She said t'back off." Jayden intervened.  
"Oh, why don't you butt out, Nguyen? Or should I call you Jayden? You're just lucky we're not arresting your handicapped ass."  
Jayden gave Ryan this odd look before standing quickly. "Just how handicapped do ya think I am, Mistah Clayt'n?"  
"Handicapped enough that if I do this it'll be fun to watch you fall." Ryan had a hand behind his back as he dramatically used his index finger to give Jayden a harsh poke in the chest.  
Jayden snatched his hand, startling him. "Don't fuckin' _touch_ me." Jayden nearly snarled.  
"Well then don't hold my hand." Ryan mocked.  
"Guys!" Jodie yelled at them.  
Ryan tore his hand from Jayden's grip, pulling the unprepared ex-FBI agent forward enough to tip him off balance. The CIA agent giggled a bit when Jayden fell forward.  
"Ya haven't won yet, Clayt'n..." Jayden growled as Jodie helped him up.  
"You're such a jerk, Ryan!" Jodie scolded.  
"He started it. Let's go, the others must be waiting for us." Ryan casually strolled out of the room.  
Jodie looked at Jayden, who was now laying against her lap. "Oh, Norman... Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine. I just don't trust him, though..."  
"I don't either, Norman..."


	9. Fission Mailure

Jodie Holmes thought at first that giving the already-physically-weak Norman Jayden skiing equipment and putting him out in the middle of a blizzard in a whole 'nother country would be a problem.  
As it turned out, she wasn't far off.  
Jodie ended up far behind the others, as she kept waiting up for Jayden.  
"Go on ahead of me...!" He'd tell her every so often. Every time he told her this, though, she would refuse with more determination. She was fairly certain that if she didn't keep coming back for him, he'd give up and collapse, perhaps even freeze to death despite possibly being the most bundled of the 5 members of the team.  
Jayden kept trying to keep up with the rest of the team, but skis just weren't his thing. He had an idea of how they were supposed to work, but his kept getting stuck... or maybe his leg would refuse to move at his will. It was hard to tell.  
Soon he and Jodie were surprised a little when the others had stopped to wait for them.  
"We need a place to rest." Ryan said.  
Jodie nodded a bit. "Aiden?"  
Aiden floated off on his own into the distance and found a house that was, for the most part, still in one piece.  
"He found one." Jodie told the others as Jayden gestured in the direction he'd seen Aiden go.  
Once at the house, everyone took of their skis and rushed inside like a group of lemmings.  
The Asian man and his bald friend hurried over to the pathetic little furnace in the corner of the room to start a fire while Ryan simply sat at the table and pulled out a laptop. Jayden was surprised that the laptop hadn't frozen, but said nothing.  
"Norman, are you okay? You seem pale." Jodie asked.  
Jayden nodded, despite the truth being that he felt nauseous.  
Jodie sighed and walked over to the two men in the corner. Aiden started the fire for them, and in result they started dancing around like pansies.  
"That's one way to create body heat..." Jodie remarked while chuckling.  
Jodie was so distracted by their happy dancing that she failed to notice Jayden hurry outside. Ryan noticed, however... but he didn't think much of it.  
'_Freak._' was all he thought about it, in fact.  
Jodie turned to return to Jayden and saw that he was gone. "... Where'd Norman go?"  
"Outside. Don't ask me why." Ryan responded offhandedly, much too absorbed in whatever he was doing on the laptop.  
Jodie adjusted her scarf and goggles before stepping out into the freezing cold. Jayden was to her right, hands on his knees, face uncovered. He was panting and it seemed to her like he was also trying to puke.  
"Norman? What's wrong?" Jodie walked over, unable to run.  
Jayden's breaths were somewhat uneven, but even so he straightened up at Jodie's presence. "N-nothing..." He stuttered.  
"You're not going to fool me this time, Norman. Come inside before you get frostbite on your face."  
Before Jayden could respond, a tank drove by. Jodie and Jayden watched it as it disappeared into the white 'fog' generated by the blizzard they were in the middle of.  
The two of them made eye contact briefly before hurrying inside together.  
"A-a tank! It just drove by." Jodie said, expecting Jayden to back her up. Instead, Jayden put his hands on his head as if he suddenly had a bad headache.  
"Which way did it go? Did it see you?"  
"I don't think tanks can _see_, Ryan." Jodie grumbled as she tried to comfort Jayden awkwardly.  
"You know what I mean."  
Jodie pointed in the direction that it went. "It went that way and no, I don't think it saw us. Thanks for caring about Norman, too." She said the last part while rolling her eyes.  
The Asian guy stepped forward. "Man, are you okay?"  
Jayden looked at him. "Y-yeah... Yeah, I'll be fine..." He looked a little to his left and saw his other self there, leaning against the wall. Tiny holographic tanks were practically piled at his feet, and he stared at Jayden with a dark smirk on his face. Jayden quickly averted his eyes.  
"Well, everyone get ready." Ryan commanded. "We've gotta move out."  
"Aww, but can't we just-" The bald guy started.  
"NO." Ryan melted.

* * *

The group of five humans, an entity, and an army of Norman Jayden's tiny, hallucinatory ARI tanks all piled up against a snow-covered roadblock that was, surprisingly enough, blocking the road.  
"See if Aiden can see anything." Ryan Clayton told Jodie Holmes what to do, which she did not appreciate.  
Aiden floated into the base that was in front of the others and peaked around, allowing Jodie to see what he was seeing.  
"I see... three soldiers." Jodie said.  
"Take them out." Ryan looked at his glove as if he were high.  
'_Do it, Aiden._' Jodie confirmed the command. Aiden giggled in his own inhuman way before possessing one of the soldiers. Aiden discreetly pulled out the soldier's gun as he walked towards the one working on a submarine. That soldier turned over to unwittingly look his death in the face.  
The soldier in the control booth rushed out screaming in another language, so Aiden shot him too.  
Jodie signaled for everyone to move forward, so they all hurried into the base and kicked their skis into the ceiling.  
The soldier that Aiden had possessed stood in the middle of the room, so Ryan shot him.  
No one but Jayden cared when Jodie let out a loud grunt of agony.  
"Jodie?" The ex-FBI agent asked gently.  
"Fuck, Ryan! At least warn me!" Jodie shouted at Ryan, who did this befuddled face and shrugged.  
"So... What now?" The Asian guy asked as he and his friend, the bald guy, looked around.  
Jodie looked at the dead soldiers and got an idea. She gently nudged Jayden toward one of them, but he only gave her a confused gaze. With a frustrated sigh, Jodie walked to the corpse by the entrance to the submarine and started to take her clothes off.  
Everyone except for Jayden stared, but that was probably only because Jayden was more focused on watching the ARI tanks circle his feet like some sort of broken parade.  
"Wh-... What are you doing?" Ryan asked Jodie after a minute or two.  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She responded with her own question as she started to disrobe the corpse. "Norman, you take the clothes off of that guy. You're coming with me."  
"Aw hell nawh," Ryan snapped his fingers like a sassy black woman who didn't need no man. "I'm going with you two."  
"What about _us_?!" The Asian man growled.  
"Fuck you two. I'm not even sure I know either of your names."  
The two odd ones out held each other and cried in the corner. The corner of the ceiling. Did I mention they could fly? No? Well, they can.  
By the time Ryan and Jayden had got all of their winter gear off, Jodie was already adjusting her hat.  
"That's a very Canadian hat." Ryan added.  
"Shut up, Ryan." Jodie frowned.  
Everyone stopped when Jayden suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. He brought his hands to his face and laughed into them, peaking out every few seconds only to laugh harder.  
Jodie looked at where he was looking and saw only floor.  
Jayden watched as an entire assembly line of the tiny tanks all followed each other over the edge of the floor and into the water, not a single one learning from the disappearance of the other. He just couldn't stop laughing at them as they all disappeared over the edge one by one. The others, however, couldn't see the tanks, so they all figured that Jayden had finally completely lost his mind.  
"Norman...?" Jodie hesitantly took a step toward Jayden. Ryan pulled out his gun again and prepared to shoot if he needed to.  
Jayden looked at Jodie, and only then remembered that the tanks were a figment of his imagination. He tried his best to regain composure... only to fail when the tanks suddenly started moving really fast, crashed into each other, and exploded before gravity threw them over with the rest of their 'kin'.  
Jodie had never heard anyone laugh as hard as Jayden was at that moment, nor had she seen anyone fall over from laughing so hard until then.  
"_Norman_!" Jodie shouted, trying to snap him out of whatever was making him laugh.  
Jayden calmed down, if only just a little, and made a gesture to Jodie for her to ignore him.  
Jodie sighed, then noticed that Ryan had his gun out. She shook her head at the CIA agent as a form of "Not cool, man."  
When Jayden finally stopped laughing and got his disguise on, he, Jodie, and Ryan got into the submarine.  
There were only two seats, which Jodie figured would be an issue until Ryan physically forced Jayden to sit in the passenger seat.  
"But, I can st-"  
"Shut up, Jayden." Ryan grumbled.  
Jodie looked at the controls in front of her, dumbfounded. Regardless, she pretended she knew how to work the submarine, and it turned out that she somehow did.  
Jayden soon saw one of the tiny ARI tanks drive across the window. He covered his face again and he started to snicker.  
"Jayden, you're starting to seem crazy again." Ryan pointed out.  
Jodie glanced over at Jayden, who shook his head.  
"It's nothin'." He said.  
"You're sure?" Ryan asked.  
"Yeah, I'm su'e."  
"If you say so..." Ryan narrowed his eyes, as if untrusting of Jayden's reassurement.  
Within hardly any time at all, Jodie had made it into the underwater base.  
"Alright, let's just step outside and play it c-" She poked her head out only to see guns pointed at her. "So much for that."  
The apparent leader of the soldiers and all that here started yelling at them, but Jodie couldn't understand a word he said.  
"Ew, he's speaking _Asian_." Ryan complained.  
"Christ, that's prob'ly the most racist thin' I've hah'd in a while." Jayden remarked about Ryan's choice of vocabulary.  
The three of them were practically dragged out of the submarine and were walked into a corridor.  
"Wow, that's a pretty looking holographic shield wall thing you've got going on." Ryan said.  
"I know, right?!" The Asian commander giggled.  
As Jodie was dragged through the containment shield, she felt a brief stab of pain followed by immense weakness. She didn't look back, however, until she heard Jayden scream in pain.  
Pretty much everyone turned to see Jayden collapsed on the opposite side of the barrier, unconscious and with his hands near his head as if he'd been clutching it, and an invisible figure stretching the wall out while letting out some sort of roar.  
"Ai-_Aiden_... Norman...!" Jodie called out. "Norman...! !"  
The commander shouted at his men, who lift Jayden and tried to force him through the barrier - they were immensely confused by the fact that Jayden reacted the same way as Aiden; as if the barrier were an electrified fence. The commander shouted again, and both Jodie and Ryan watched as Aiden backed off from the wall while the soldiers dragged Jayden down a different hallway in the branching corridor.  
"_Norman_...! ! !" Jodie cried out weakly. The soldiers guiding her and Ryan led them into a room of their own.  
Both of them were tied tightly to chairs across from each other, and then the commander finally spoke... in Engrish.  
"Boat of yu stay put! I must speak to the otter man." He said as he turned to leave the room.  
"What the FUCK are you saying?" Ryan asked.  
"SHURRUP." The commander cartwheeled through the door at the speed of sound, leaving Jodie and Ryan in the room with a guard watching them.  
'_Oh God... Aiden, please... Please, help Norman!_'

* * *

"Wake up. Hey, wake up!"  
Norman Jayden came to in a daze with an annoying voice nagging him to wake up. "Huhhnn...?"  
"Good. Yu are awake."  
"Who...?"  
"I should be askin' yu hu _yu_ are." The commander countered as he stared Jayden in the eyes.  
Jayden looked around, seemingly deciding to ignore the fact that he was tied to a chair. "Jodie... Jodie; whe'e's _Jodie_?! What have ya done t'ha'?!"  
The commander laughed. "I haven't done anythin' tu _her_ yet. I want tu know wai _yu_ react tu the containment shield the same way that an _entity_ does."  
"What...?" Jayden was confused.  
"T'at horographic warr. Wai du yu react tu it like an entity does?"  
"I don't undahstand..."  
"Yu couldn't go through it." The commander reached out and messed with Jayden's dark brown hair a bit. "Are yu an entity?"  
"No..." Jayden shook his head as much as he could. His head felt like it was going to explode, it hurt so bad.  
Jayden froze a little when he had a knife suddenly pressed against his throat.  
"I t'ink yu are lyin'. Yu hardry even rook _arive_."  
"Huh...?"  
The commander raised the knife, allowing Jayden to see a half of his own reflection in the glistening blade. He was surprised to see that the commander was somewhat right; Jayden looked pale, and his eye-sockets were dark, his sclerae somewhat reddened. His nose was bleeding at that moment, too. All in all, Jayden figured it was fair to at least somewhat believe the commander's statement on his appearance.  
The knife was placed back against Jayden's throat.  
"How about we find out if yu are rearry an entity? Yu are crearry going tu die either way."


	10. The First Addict

Norman Jayden had decided to take a shower at Jack Reilly's suite.  
He actually wasn't all that sure what possessed him to do so, but he didn't argue against it.  
When he stepped into the bathroom, he was alone. He looked into the mirror.  
'_Geez, my hair looks messy. Did Jack mess with it?_' He thought somewhat lovingly. He pushed this question aside, however, and started to take off his suit.  
He'd only taken off his suit jacket and tie when suddenly an extra pair of hands appears from behind him to assist in unbuttoning his white dress shirt.  
This sudden and particularly unneeded assistance startled Jayden, and he quickly whipped his head to look at the source of the arms.  
"J-_Jack_...?"  
Reilly smiled a little, now resting his head on Jayden's left shoulder.  
"J-Jack, what a'e ya doin'...?" Jayden stuttered. He'd stopped undoing his shirt, but that didn't stop Reilly from doing it for him.  
Reilly didn't answer until he'd slipped Jayden's shirt off. Even then, it wasn't much of an answer. "You've got a nice body, Norman..."  
"Jack, a'e ya drunk?" Jayden asked nervously.  
"Not completely, but it might not be safe to leave me near a car." Reilly joked in response.  
Jayden smirked a little, even as Reilly forced him to turn around and face him.  
"What are you thinking about, Norman?"  
Jayden did this little idle motion with his jaw before he reached up and started to undo Jack's shirt as well. "What else could I be thinkin' about othah than _ya_?" He leaned forward to kiss Jack again, and was pleased when Jack accepted the gestured request.

* * *

A few weeks after their little "date", Jack Reilly approached Norman Jayden in his office, trembling like mad.  
When the door opened, Jayden looked up and his jaw dropped. He leaped from up his chair and hurried over to Reilly, helping him in, sitting him in the chair behind the desk, and then closing the door.  
"Christ, Jack, what happened?!" He asked.  
Reilly only shook his head as he held himself, trying to dull the trembling.  
"Jack, tell me what happened!"  
"I-it's _Triptocaine_, Norman!"  
"_What_? What _about_ Triptocaine?"  
"I-I'm out!"  
"_Out_?" Jayden asked in a shocked tone. "How could ya be _out_?"  
"I'm... Norman, I'm addicted to it...! God, I just... I need some really bad!" Reilly replied as his nose started to bleed.  
"Oh fuck, yer nose is bleeding!" Jayden searched through the desk until he found a box of tissues. He yanked one of the sheets out and handed it to Jack, placing the box itself within his reach.  
Reilly put the tissue over his bleeding nostril, holding it there.  
"Lean fohward, Jack. Pinch yer nostrils shut." Jayden instructed.  
Reilly shook his head. "It won't stop until I take Tripto..."  
"Jack, that's nonsense!"  
"Please, Norman!" Reilly looked up at his partner with a pleading look in his reddened eyes. "Please, I-I need it... I need more Triptocaine!"  
"_Jack_..." Jayden shook his head slowly, though he did look incredibly worried.  
"_Please_... I'm suffering _so much_..."  
Jayden shook his head more but then kicked at the floor in frustration. "Just _once_, Jack. Only this _one time_! I'm _nevah_ gonna give ya Triptocaine again aftah this!"  
"Fine - _please_, just get me some right now!"  
"It's in the desk. Furthest drawer t'the right."  
Reilly frantically opened the drawer and pulled out Jayden's box of Triptocaine. He palmed a single tablet and downed it without water.  
Jayden watched with a troubled expression.  
"... Norman, this is the first tablet taken out of this box."  
"Yeah."  
"Haven't you been taking any?"  
Jayden shook his head. "N-no."  
"You must feel like shit after using your ARI."  
Jayden held his hand up and shook his head yet again. "I'm _fine_, Jack."

* * *

Norman Jayden and Jack Reilly had been "secretly dating" for maybe a week or two when Jayden woke up one day feeling somewhat... off. He tried to shake the feeling away, but he just couldn't stop feeling like something had gone horribly wrong. Regardless, he got up, ate a quick breakfast comprised of a piece of toast and a cup of coffee, and hurried out the door to get to work.  
When he arrived in the office, he was confused by the strange looks people were giving him.  
'_Do I have somethin' on my face...? Why a'e they lookin' at me like that?_' Jayden averted his eyes from them, feeling self-conscious. Before he stepped into his office, his boss caught him.  
"Norman... I think we need to talk."  
"Huh? Um... Okay." Jayden replied. He followed his boss into his office, standing on the other side of the boss' desk.  
"We're all very sorry for your loss. We know how close you two were, whether you realize it or not."  
Jayden could only blink. "I-... I'm sorry, I... Ya've lost me, sah."  
His boss looked sympathetic. "That's right. You were away yesterday, weren't you?"  
"I really wasn't feelin' well. What happened?"  
"You haven't picked up a newspaper?"  
Jayden shook his head. "No, not... Not recently."  
"This is today's daily paper..." The boss slid a newspaper across the desk, and Jayden glanced at the main headline.  
"..." Jayden's eyes widened and started to tear up. He covered his mouth and shook his head frantically, backing away from the desk as if it were some sort of attacker.  
"I'm sorry, Norman."  
"No...! _No, no, no, no_! Th-that's a _lie_!"  
"It's _not_, Norman... Jack's body is in the morgue right now. They've concluded by now that his cause of death was an overdose of Triptocaine. I'm _sorry_."

* * *

Jodie Holmes and Ryan Clayton both sat somewhat impatiently in the room they had been left in. Neither of them said a word.  
Eventually, the Asian commander-general guy walked back in. He walked over to Jodie, revealing he held a bloody knife.  
Jodie said nothing, but she got a feeling of dread.  
"So as it turns out, your friend is not an entity." The commander said off-handedly.  
"What the fuck do you mean?" Ryan asked for Jodie.  
The commander turned slowly to glare at Ryan. "Entities should not die so easily."  
"Y-you... That's... _Norman's_ blood...?" Jodie choked on words as she stared at the knife.  
"Right out of his delicate throat."  
Jodie started screaming in grief and disbelief.  
The knife was placed against her throat. "Shut up, girr."  
"Hey, get that fucking knife away from her!" Ryan yelled.  
The commander didn't move the knife, but he did turn to face Ryan again. "Yu shut up tuu."  
Before long, the commander was asking Jodie bizarre questions. Jodie didn't really even listen to any - she was in shock, unable to wrap her mind around the idea that Jayden was dead.  
"Wirr yu tahk?" The commander asked her.  
Her only response was a tear-filled, "I didn't even get the chance to tell him that I _loved_ him..."  
The commander handed the knife covered with Jayden's blood to the guard, who grabbed Ryan, who looked incredibly disgruntled by Jodie's words. Jodie averted her eyes as she heard Ryan scream in agony, and when she glanced back over, his eye had been removed.  
"Maybe that wirr make yu tahk?" The commander brushed the knife against Jodie's cheek, smearing Ryan's blood onto it.  
Suddenly, alarms started to go off.  
"What the Herr?" The commander took a step to hurry out, but then the door was kicked open. Her back facing the door, Jodie couldn't see who entered, and Ryan was in too much agony to care. The commander, however, still in front of Jodie, looked horrified.  
Several loud gunshots filled the air, and both the guard and the commander fell over, the guard already dead.  
"_Impossibru_!" shouted the commander as he clutched his bullet wound. Jodie did her best to look over her shoulder, managing to see her savior with one eye.  
In the doorway stood none other than Norman Jayden. Sure, he looked traumatized, was covered in blood, was paler than before, and had absolutely no life in his pale green eyes, but Hell, Jodie couldn't find a wound on his neck. She could only assume that Aiden had saved him, and figured that she was right when she felt Aiden return to her.  
"N-Norman... Goddammit, I thought you were _dead_!" She cried with a faint smile.  
Jayden didn't respond to her. He watched as the little ARI tanks surrounded the commander, and he smirked.  
He knew what the tanks meant now.  
"Ya said I was gonna die eithah way. Yer right, but... judgin' by the amount surroundin' ya... Yer gonna die _fahst_." Jayden droned to the commander.  
"What are yu tahkin' about?!" The commander asked frantically. Jodie stared off into the distance, listening. She had a bad feeling.  
"Yer gonna die fahst..." Jayden revealed that he'd grabbed another handgun on the way over, and he stepped forward to point both of them at the commander. "... and I'm gonna be the one t'take ya out of this _broken_ world."  
Before the commander could respond again, Jayden started shooting him over and over until both handguns ran out of ammo. Jodie shook her head a bit, trying to get rid of the ringing in her ears, and she glanced at Jayden. He had a large, childish grin on his face.  
"N-Norman...?"  
Jayden watched as all but three of the tanks disappeared. The three that remained aimed their guns at him.  
'_It's only three._' Jayden thought. '_That guy had several surroundin' him. I've still got a lot've time._'  
"_Norman_?" Jodie was a little louder.  
Jayden looked at her.  
"Norman, you... You disabled the containment shield, didn't you?"  
Jayden simply stared at her with a disappointed look. She understood what it meant.  
"Fuck. Well, you and I have to go shut down the rift before this entire base is destroyed, then."  
"Hey, what about _me_?!" Ryan shouted.  
"Fuck you, Ryan. You're a dick."  
"I'm a good-looking dick, though."  
"Norman, why don't you shoot him too?"  
Jayden looked at her quietly for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright. Lemme go get mo'e ammo."  
"NO NO WAIT NORMAN, I WAS KIDDING!" Jodie shouted after him when he turned to leave the room.  
"Shame." Jayden replied as he started to untie Jodie from the chair.  
"I'll get you for this this, Jayden. Don't worry, I WILL _NOT_ forget." Ryan growled.  
"That sounds a lot like somethin' Cahtah Blake would say."  
"Oh _yeah_?"  
"_Yeah_." Jayden laid his dead-eyed gaze upon Ryan. "In case yer wonderin', I _killed_ Cahtah Blake. So shut yer fuckin' mouth, alright?"  
Ryan scowled, but said no more.  
Jayden smiled a little.  
Jodie felt a bit scared. '_Norman's not acting like himself... Just what happened in the other room?_'  
Once free, Jodie hurried out to find where the commander had hidden the bomb.  
Ryan snarled at Jayden, who already looked to be on the verge of snapping. With a determined look on his face, Jayden pointed his empty gun at Ryan's head.  
"Say a word, and I sweah I will fuckin' _will_ a bullet to appeah in this gun _just_ so I can blow yer brains out."  
Ryan stayed quiet, for the most part. "Who's side are you on?" He asked after a minute.  
Jayden pulled the trigger, making Ryan jump at the click the gun made despite the fact that he knew it was empty.  
"That's yer _last_ warnin'." Jayden said.  
Jodie found the bomb and took it, because the guy who was supposed to be guarding it had suffocated on a piece of cloth. She hurried back to Ryan and Jayden to see Jayden holding Ryan at gunpoint.  
"Seriously, Norman, I was _kidding_." She said. "Cut Ryan some slack - he just got his eye cut out."  
Jayden slowly took the gun away from Ryan's head.  
"Aiden, untie Ryan. Norman, we have to get moving and find the rift."  
Ryan fell over to the floor when Aiden snapped the rope that held him to the chair. "What about _me_?"  
"What _about_ you?"  
"What do _I_ do?"  
"Go... Go find a submarine or something."  
"B-"  
"GO FIND A SUBMARINE OR SOMETHING"

* * *

Jodie Holmes ran with the blood-covered Norman Jayden down the corridors of the underwater base, both of them dodging wild entities left and right. Jodie had the bomb to destroy the rift attached to her side, and it jiggled a bit as she ran.  
The two of them came to a stop in a room that had windows displaying the water surrounding the base around them. There was a giant opening in the middle of the floor, and on the green-lit hangars or whatever were, strangely enough, a single suit for a man and a single suit for a woman.  
"Look at that, Norman! Someone's on _our_ side!"  
"Fer _once_."  
The two of them put on their futuristic wetsuits, which had helmets similar to that of a spacesuit.  
"Fuck... Aiden, I'm scared." Jodie whined.  
In response, Aiden shoved her into the water. Jayden climbed in after her. He wasn't particularly fond of this wetsuit's display screen - it was like a shitty version of the ARI. As a result, he wanted to get this part of the mission over with.  
Jodie sunk to the bottom of the pit, soon joined there by Jayden. The two of them walked as fast as they could (which wasn't very fast at all) down the lit path until they made it to the rift. The rift here glowed light blue, faintly reminding Jayden more of the ARI.  
Jodie pulled out the little pack of charges and slapped a single charge upon each base of the rift.  
Jayden watched as a giant entity poked its head out of the rift and looked at him. "... Oh boy."  
"Wh-" Jodie turned and saw the entity herself. "Oh _wow_."  
For a moment, all three of them were completely still. Then the entity roared and the duo screamed before starting to 'run' like mad back up the path.  
"Fuck, I'm running out of air!" Jodie shouted.  
This didn't turn out to be a problem. Jayden waited by the ladder for Jodie like a rather suicidal gentleman, and she jumped on to it in slow-motion, crawling up at the speed of a snail.  
Luckily for both of them, the entity decided it wanted to try making poptarts underwater, then realized that it didn't have a lethal toaster, and started to cry.  
Jayden would have given it a toaster if he had one, but then he decided that he wanted to live a little longer either way.  
When Jodie finally made it up, she threw her helmet off and stood there for a moment. Jayden came out of the water behind her and threw off his helmet as well. He also started to take off his wetsuit, revealing that he was now wearing his suit again.  
"... Norman, when'd you... How in the world are you wearing your suit?"  
"S'cuse me?"  
"Your suit. You left it back in the uppermost part of this... base... thing."  
"Yer point?"  
"My point is trying to figure out how you could possibly have it on right now."  
"I dunno."  
Jodie facepalmed.  
Once he got his wetsuit off, Jayden watched the commander of the base, who he could have sworn he (over-)killed, charge at Jodie. He watched the two of them fight, just standing there.  
The commander grabbed a large chain. "Yu bitch!" He shouted at Jodie and was about to whip her with the chain, but Jayden intervened.  
"Stop!" He shouted and was going to give the commander a shove, but he was instead whipped by the heavy chain himself, and it knocked the breath out of him, as well as threw him off balance so bad that he nearly fell back into the water.  
"Norman!" Jodie shrieked.  
"Yu anorexic half-entity!" The commander shouted at Jayden, who was too weak to get back to his feet. "What du yu hope tu du? _Fight_ me? Hah!"  
"Who a'e ya c-calling 'anahrexic'...?" Jayden asked, blinking in and out of consciousness. '_Jodie. Jodie - I gotta stay awake or else he'll kill Jodie!_' He tried to think himself into alertness, but he just felt so worn out all of the sudden.  
'_Rest, Nahman._'  
Jodie watched as Jayden's twitching stopped and he fell limp. "_NORMAN_!"


	11. Method Acting

When Carter Blake walked into Norman Jayden's hospital room, the first thing he noticed was the little Origami cat on the bedside table.  
"Norman! Norman, wake the fuck up!" Blake ordered.  
Jayden's eyes cracked open. "H-huh...?"  
"Where the fuck did this come from?!" Blake took the cat off of the table and showed it to Jayden, whose eyes narrowed.  
"I... Is that... Origami...?"  
"From the fuckin' Origawmi Killer! He's been in here!"  
Jayden felt his hate give way a little. Perhaps the Origami cat was an apology for the katana through his stomach? Then again, the Orchid was-  
"And there's a fuckin' _orchid_ here, too! What the shit?!"  
Jayden tried to hide his tiny smile. '_So it _is_ an apology. Eitha' that or the Origami Killah was expectin' me t'die and simply left this stuff he'e t'complete the ritual._'  
"What's with that tiny smile, Norm?" Blake asked coldly.  
"N-nothin'..."  
Though it probably wasn't the best move in the favor of Jayden's health, Blake took the FBI agent out of the hospital the minute he thought he had the right to (which was right then and there). He practically stormed out with Jayden in his arms and brought the FBI agent back to his own house. He ended up kicking the door open so loud that Jayden jolted up in his arms, only to groan in agony from the movement hurting his wounded torso.  
"Suck it up, Norman." Blake growled before dropping Jayden onto the couch roughly.  
"F-fuck, Blake! Ya keep treatin' me like this and it'll be a _miracle_ if I don't die!"  
"Did you see him?!"  
"What a'e ya talkin' about?"  
"Did you see who left that Origawmi cat?!"  
"No! Last thin' I remembah is fightin' with-" Jayden stopped himself. For some reason, the thought of mentioning that he'd fought with the Origami Killer made his heart sink and race with dread.  
"Fighting with who?"  
"... I-... I don't remembah."  
"You just said you did, Norman. Don't try to play me like I'm some kind of goddamned idiot."  
"I don't remembah! I remembah fightin' him, but I don't-"  
Blake wrapped his hands around Jayden's throat, throwing the agent back onto the couch and pressing down. "You're going to tell me _everything_ that happened, Norman Jayden. Every little detail - _even if I have to beat it out of you_!"

* * *

Jodie Holmes watched as the commander started to choke. He dropped the chain he held, and it clattered into a pile next to Norman Jayden's head.  
"Kill him, Aiden! _KILL HIM_!" She screamed. Aiden threw the commander into the water, holding him there until he drowned. Aiden then shoved his body over and let it sink.  
Jodie ran to Jayden's side, shaking him a little. "Norman?! Norman, wake up!"  
Jayden groaned as he woke up. "J-Jodie...?"  
"Norman, we've gotta move, right now! The base is gonna blow any minute, we have to get the hell out of here!"  
"I-I can't move..."  
"Norman, come on!" Jodie screamed.  
Jayden tried to stand, but could only make it to his knees before he fell forward.  
"Aiden!" Jodie yelled. Aiden proceeded to lift Jayden in a somewhat-human way, sort of like a bridal carry.  
Jodie started to run like mad with Aiden following, dodging more wild entities and now flowing water, as the entities were tearing the base up trying to escape.  
She, Aiden, and Jayden made it to the submarines... only to be surprised that there were none of said submarines there.  
"Fuck, Ryan... Where _are_ you...?!" Jodie yelled in a panic. She looked back at Jayden, who was still unconscious and held up by Aiden. "Norman..." She reached out and gently stroked his dark brown hair.  
Just as she was starting to accept the idea that she and Norman were going to die there together, a submarines rose out of the water in front of them. The lid opened, and out popped Ryan, who gestured for them to jump in.  
"You didn't think I'd just let you two die here, did I?" He glanced at Jayden. "... Well, I mean, I'd let _him_ die."  
"Oh, just shove your dick down your own throat and shut the fuck up." Jodie grumbled as she got into the submarine, catching Jayden as Aiden dropped him in.  
"J-Jodie...?" Jayden's eyes opened a little, allowing a little stream of blood to slide down his left cheek.  
"Oh God, Jayden, your eye... It's bleeding!"  
"I-it's fine..."  
Jodie decided to take his word for it, if at least only for now, since they were in somewhat of a rush to get the hell out of dodge. She jumped into the driver's seat, Norman sitting beside her, and Ryan standing behind them.  
Jodie started the submarine and got them all out of the base. The bombs went off behind them, which effectively destroyed the base. All three of the smiled until the entire submarine was tossed about enough to throw Jayden off of his seat and Ryan to the floor as well.  
"Shit! ! The aftershock hit us! ! The sub's damaged! !" Jodie cried.  
"No fucking shit! !" Ryan replied as he was now sitting in cold water.  
Jodie thought for a moment. '_If we stay in here, we're going to drown... We're... We're not that far from the surface. We'll have a better chance if we just..._'  
Ryan looked over at Jayden, who wasn't moving. "Uh..." He reached out and nudged the ex-FBI agent.  
Jayden was out like a light, and his only response to Ryan's nudge was a weak, choked-out groan. He woke up not too soon after, though, and with a jolt too; he'd been dreaming of murdering Ryan, and it hadn't been entirely unpleasant.  
Jodie stood, gaining their attention. "We have to abandon the sub."  
"What?" Ryan argued before Jayden could overthrow his cachexia to think of something to say. "We'll fucking freeze to death!"  
"What would you rather? Drown or have a chance of getting out of this even if you do get cold?"  
Ryan growled. He was surprised to suddenly have his legs pulled out from under him, and he fell back. Jayden almost immediately climbed on top of him, an insane look in his reddened, bleeding green eyes. Jodie's face turned a little red from the suggestiveness of their position.  
"How about I just kill him, Jodie? He'll only slow us down." Jayden said with a smirk.  
"What? Norman, no."  
Aiden sensed the change in Jayden's personality and therefore, again, granted himself permission to kill the man. He wasn't able to, however, as immediately after denying Jayden's offer, Jodie opened the submarine and swam out and up.  
Jodie burst to the surface, climbing up onto the ice-and-snow-covered land in front of her. She shivered like mad as she waited for Ryan and Jayden to emerge.  
Ryan swam up and broke the surface, following Jodie onto the land.  
Jodie's teeth chattered as she spoke. "Wh-wh-where's N-Norman...?"  
"F-f-fuck if _I_ kn-know..."  
Jodie narrowed her eyes. Not too far from them, something grey slightly broke surface. It took Jodie a second to realize that the grey thing was Jayden's back, but when she did, her eyes widened and she shot up despite the cold.  
"N-Norman...! !" She had Aiden flip Jayden over and pull him up onto the land between her and Ryan.  
Jayden's lips were blue, and Jodie couldn't see his chest rising.  
"Norman..."  
Ryan inched away, not pleased that she was showing more attention to Jayden. 'He's clearly dead. Why won't she just care about me?'  
Jodie hugged Jayden close, crying crystallized tears. "_Normaaan_..." She bawled. Seeing that she was going to get no response, she, sniffling, brought her face closer to Jayden's.  
Ryan watched. and was left startled and enraged when Jodie kissed Jayden on the lips. She quickly moved her head away, however, when Jayden suddenly started hacking up water and trembling.  
Behind them, those two other guys on their team drove up in a transport vehicle.  
"There they are!" They shouted at each other. They ran towards the three of them, but then built snowmen and took them instead.  
I kid.  
The three 'heroes' were helped into the transport, Jodie still holding tightly onto Jayden.  
"Thank God you found us..." Jodie said to them. They flipped her off.

* * *

Norman Jayden sat at his desk, looking through his ARI at everything relating to the Origami Killer. Now wasn't a particularly good time for him to be putting such focus onto something, as it was in quite some pain, and he was pretty frustrated, both relating to Carter Blake. Yet even so, he needed to look harder through his information on the killer.  
'_Why did he spa'e me...? He could've killed me. What motive would he have had t'let me live...?_'  
Curiously, Jayden thought about something. He'd seen in a movie once a way of figuring out the killer's thoughts. '_It's alright... Why am I scared? It's not like this'll drive me mad or enehthin'. If I feel like it's goin' too far, I'll stop._'  
With that, Jayden started trying to think like the killer would from his own knowledge. He couldn't help but laugh, because what he was imagining the killer would think was so cliche.  
Jayden kept this act up for a few hours every day for about a week or so, until one day he realized he was thinking in that mindset involuntarily. He laughed a little.  
'_Oops. Why am I thinkin' like that now?_' His heart started to race a little. Here he was, making a method actor out of himself, and he was making himself think like the Origami Killer. From what he knew, method acting didn't always end well, at least, not when the actor was pretending to be someone so insane.  
"No. No, _come on_, Nahman. Don't be silly." He tried to convince himself quietly. "Yer not gonna become the Origami Killah just because yer tryin' to figuah out what he thinks." He put a hand on his head and recited his personal information to himself offhandedly just to prove to himself that he was fine. "Yer name is Nahman Jayden. Yer 34 years old, ya live..." He trailed off. Where did he live again?  
After a moment of confusion, Jayden shook his head. "Ya live in _Philadelphia_, ya work as... _as_... ya work a job with lotsa free time, and yer the Origami Kill-" Jayden clasped his hands over his mouth as his eyes shot open wide. He tried to laugh it off, but inside, he was horrified at what he'd got himself into.  
"... Yer just... Just a _tad_ obsessed, Nahman. Maybe... Maybe if ya... take a _break_ from this..." Jayden made his decision and put his ARI away, taking a little bit of Triptocaine to hold himself together before he went out to take a peaceful walk... provided that Blake wouldn't intervene.

* * *

When they made it back to the DPA facility, they all walked inside. Nathan Dawkins saw, and ran over.  
"Are all of you alright?" He asked.  
Jodie Holmes gave a scowl. Norman Jayden hadn't woken up at all during the whole trip back.  
Ryan Clayton replied bitterly, "Yes, we're all fine and fuckin' dandy."  
"That's good." Nathan replied bitterly. He then looked Jayden over. "What happened to him?"  
"He's been out cold ever since we got back to land."  
Nathan's eyes widened. "Jodie, give him to me."  
"What? No. Keep your hands away from him."  
"Jodie, he needs medical care!"  
"He'll wake up on his own! !" Jodie screamed.  
Nathan growled at her stubbornness, and Jodie suddenly found herself being torn from Jayden and restrained. Two men dragged Jayden away, and she screamed as she tried to break free from the two (and Ryan) that were holding her back. "NORMAAAAAAAN! ! !" She cried.  
Nathan followed the two men carrying Jayden and disappeared around a corridor.  
"Jodie, relax." Ryan snapped at her. "They won't hurt him. I'm fairly certain that they need him."  
Jodie crumpled to the ground and cried, worried about Jayden's physical and mental well-being.


	12. Promise

"A... A _tu_-... -_mah_...?"  
Norman Jayden sat still. It wasn't necessarily shock that had him paralyzed, but was instead something more along the lines of anxiety.  
"Yes, Jayden. We didn't want to have to tell you this way, but you were out for almost an entire day." Nathan Dawkins sighed as he pulled his chair a little closer to Jayden's. "Jayden... The thing is, while we know you'd probably _want_ to be operated on... We don't think it's _wise_."  
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "What do ya mean, '_don't think it's wise_'?"  
Dawkins sighed again. "It's just... you might _lose_ more than you _gain_."  
"What the hell is _that_ s'posed t'mean? I'll _live_, won't I?"  
"We can give you _treatment_, Jayden. You can keep all of your special skills, _and_ you can live."  
Jayden was silent for just a moment. "... With all due respect, I don't wanna keep my '_special skills_'."  
Dawkins gave Jayden a raised brow.  
Jayden started to panic a little. '_This fuckah is really thinkin' of usin' me as some sorta tool!_'  
"Sah, I'm bein' stalked."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The'e's this... this guy. John. He's always around, always watchin' me and to'mentin' me...! If not gettin' op'rated on means that he gets t'stay, I _want_ the op'ration."  
"I can't let you throw this ability away. You're the only person in the world who can see the entities."  
"Bullshit! What about Jodie?"  
"She can't see them on her own. You can. Jayden, you've got so much potential!"  
"I'm goin' mad and slowly but su'ely dyin'! I'm losin' my fuckin' mind, and ya da'e to say that I've got _potential_?! I'm not gonna become one of yer goddahmned tools!"  
Nathan stood, shaking his head. "We can treat you, Jayden. I'm not going to let you become useless to us."  
Jayden smiled, but not out of pleasure. It looked more like a snarl to Dawkins, who took a step back as Jayden shakily stood.  
"I highly doubt even _ya_ could give _treatment_ for a fuckin' brain tumah without removin' it."  
"We won't let you die, whatever the case."  
"I'm not doin' it. I wanna get rid of the tumah and I wanna get rid of John. I'll help myself with or without yer help." Jayden turned and tried to walk away, but his legs buckled and he fell to the floor.  
"You're still _very_ weak, Jayden." Dawkins said as he slowly walked over. "Help _me_, and _I'll_ help _you_."  
"I ain't helpin' ya with _shit_!" Jayden spat.  
"You want to _run_, but you can't _walk_. You want to be rid of your _hunger_, but you can't _eat_. You want to get rid of your so-called other _self_, but you can't fight me on _that_." Dawkins then revealed a light blue tablet to Jayden. "Is _this_ what you want, Jayden?"  
Jayden's eyes widened. "Is... Is that... Tr-Trip-... -to...?"  
"Yes, Jayden. You know, it wasn't difficult for me to get some, seeing as I have _connections_..."  
"St-stay back!" Jayden shouted as he tried to crawl away, a hand under his nose as it started to bleed when he began trembling. "I-I'm clean... I'm not gonna take anymo'e Triptocaine...!"  
"Admit it, Jayden - you don't have the _willpower_ it takes to _not_ take more."  
"So what, wh-what... Is this the '_tr-treatment_' ya told me about...?!"  
"Isn't it worth a shot?"  
Jayden shook his head, beginning to beat it against the floor.  
"Do you want it as a tablet, or would you rather I crush it for you?"  
"F-fuck ya...! I'm _not_ takin' it!"  
Dawkins wouldn't let up. He knew Jayden was close to breaking point, and wasn't surprised when crushing the tablet into a power made Jayden hit it.  
Jayden looked at all the tanks around him. There had to be almost a hundred. '_All of them... They'll... they'll all go away if I take Tripto. All of this will be _ovah_ as long as I start takin' Tripto again..._'  
Though he didn't really want it, Jayden accepted Dawkins' offer and snorted the Triptocaine. Almost instantly, he felt at least a little better. Some of the tanks disappeared, but in their place, Jayden saw John.  
John, still looking like a clone of Jayden despite looking less ill, smirked. "Look at yerself, Nahman. Yer lyin' on the floor, bleedin' from the nose, snortin' drugs that ya told me ya'd quit... Ya look like _shit_, too. Ya look so _pathetic_, Nahman."  
Jayden looked back at Dawkins. Before he could reject the thought, it was out of his mouth; "I need _mo'e_."  
Dawkins laughed heartily and pat Jayden on the back. "That's what I wanted to hear, Jayden."

* * *

Carter Blake awoke in the middle of the night. He wasn't sure why he woke up, and he wasn't all too pleased about it. It took him a moment to realize that Norman Jayden was, again, gone from the bed they shared.  
The possessive lieutenant grumbled and walked out of the bedroom, freezing up when he saw Jayden sitting against the wall across from the door. "... _NOR_man, what are you doing?"  
Jayden didn't respond. The FBI agent had been acting strange these days...  
"Come on, Norm. Come back to bed."  
"No." Jayden muttered.  
"Norm." Blake narrowed his eyes.  
"I can't sleep."  
"Stop acting like a child."  
"_Blake_." Jayden growled.  
Blake rolled his eyes and let out a huff. "Fine. _Why_ can't you sleep?"  
Jayden shook his head slowly, putting his hands up and running his cold fingers through his dark brown hair. "A-a _nightma'e_..."  
"What of?"  
"Little kids..."  
Blake raised a brow.  
"Boys dr-drownin'... drownin' in rain watah..." Jayden droned in a weak voice. "Ev-everytime I watch one die, I feel like a paht of me dies too... s-so I take their bodies and I leave an orchid w-with them..."  
Blake listened to Jayden with wide eyes. Before he knew it, he'd slapped Jayden across the face.  
Jayden fell onto his side from the force of the smack and looked up at the lieutenant. He had this helpless look in his face, as if he were afraid of being beaten up again.  
"Do you know _who_ the Origawmi Killer is, Norman?!" Blake asked. "Do you know why he _stalks_ you?! Because if you do, I'd like to know!"  
Jayden suddenly yanked Blake's leg, throwing him off balance. He then hurried up and started to run, only for Blake to trip him back and get over top of him.  
Jayden started to scream, so Blake slapped him again.  
"_SHUT UP_, NORMAN!" He bellowed.  
There was a knock at the front door. "Carter? Carter, what the fuck's going on in there?!" A voice asked.  
Blake scowled. "What the fuck... What is _he_ doing here?"  
"HELP!" Jayden screamed. "HELP ME!"  
Before Blake could shut Jayden up, the door was kicked open, and Scott Shelby ran into the corridor.  
"Carter, get the hell off of him!" Scott ordered.  
Blake did so, not willing to test his old friend and lieutenant, even if he did know of his dark secret.  
Scott helped Jayden stand, holding him close to protect him. "What the hell are you _doing_, Carter? Why is Jayden here?"  
"I'm sorry," Blake replied snootily. "But do you two _know_ each other?"  
"Yes." Scott replied and looked at Jayden.  
Jayden looked at Scott, and then at Blake. "I... I met him at the Blue Lagoon... before I was attacked..."  
"I heard about what happened, so I went to go visit Jayden in the hospital, only to have the nurses there tell me that you stole him from their care, Carter." Scott finished his side of the tale.  
"Well, I suppose they didn't tell you about the origami cat and orchid next to Norm's bed?"  
Scott gave Jayden a look, and in response Jayden shuddered.  
"Jayden, I want a simple, blunt, yes or no answer. Are you the Origami Killer?" The private investimagatorrator asked.  
Jayden hesitated for a long moment. "What do ya think?"  
"I don't think you are." Scott replied.  
"Yer a fool to dismiss a suspect that easily, Shelby." Jayden said in a dark tone.  
"Would you rather I accuse you?"  
"Stop that." Blake intervened, pulling Jayden out of Scott's hold. "He's not the Origawmi Killer."  
Jayden shook his head and let out a scoff. "No wondah ya've nevah figuahed out who the _real_ Origami Killah is."  
"Shut up, Norm."

* * *

It couldn't have been more than a night or two after Scott Shelby arrived to rescue Norman Jayden from Carter Blake's wrath when Blake awoke to a loud scream from downstairs - Jayden's scream.  
'_Oh, fuck! What the hell is going on? Norman's in trouble!_' Blake jumped up and ran out into the living room. No one was there. Jayden's ARI lay on the floor in the center of the room.  
Blake cautiously walked over and picked up the glasses. Now probably wasn't an appropriate time, he figured, but even so he put Jayden's 'sunglasses' on anyways. He jumped back when he saw Jayden in front of him.  
"N-Norm...?"  
Jayden was still and had no life in his eyes. His hand was at chest level, pointing at Blake. He didn't move a muscle.  
Blake took off the ARI. Jayden was no longer there. When he had the glasses half on, he could see that Jayden was only visible in the glasses. "What the fuck...?" He reached out, the glasses on, and tried to feel Jayden. It didn't feel like he was touching anything, but his hands were able to trace the side of Jayden's body, which reacted naturally to his touch.  
Blake watched as a sly smirk slowly appeared on Jayden's face.  
"Behind ya, Cahtah." A voice that sounded exactly like Jayden's (though a bit disjointed) said in monotone.  
Blake shook his head and took off the glasses. He turned around, not expecting to see anything, only to get smacked over the head with the butt of a gun. He fell to the floor out of surprise, and the gun, his gun, was aimed at his head by the person all bundled up in black.  
'_He's not tall or wide enough to be Scott..._' Blake snarled, realizing who it was. '_Of course. He left those fuckin' glasses _  
_there for me._'  
Norman Jayden, done up in a disguise, stood his ground.  
"Goddammit, Norman. Put the goddamned gun down."  
Seeing as his disguise wasn't working, Jayden ripped off the scarf and hat he'd put on and threw them aside, exposing his whole head as he kept his gun aimed at Blake.  
"Norman. Put. The gun. _Down_."  
Jayden said nothing. He simply kept standing his ground.  
"For fuck's sake!"  
"Do ya know who I am, Cahtah?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
A dark grin spread across Jayden's face. "I'm the _fuckin'_ Origami Killah."  
"What? Norman, no, you're not!" Blake replied, ignoring the way Jayden declared that.  
"I _AM_!" He shouted, as if made entirely delusional by his time spent developing a profile to follow for the Origami Killer.  
Blake grumbled. "_NOR_man... You're _not_ the Origawmi Killer. You're an FBI agent, and a damn good one at that. If you want to go get the real killer, then put the gun down. We'll go interrogate the real killer and save Shaun right now."  
Jayden hesitated. "Wh-who... Who's... the real killah...?"

* * *

Jodie Holmes sat down next to Ryan Clayton with a worried huff.  
"Still worried about Jayden?" Ryan asked offhandedly.  
"Yeah... That and Mr. Ronald McDonald in there is a cocky prick."  
Ryan snickered a little, but hid it. He was still pissed at Jodie for her showing Jayden so much affection.  
Suddenly, Cole Freeman rode over on a bicycle. "Hey, Jodie. Nathan wants to see you."  
"Alright..." She accepted somewhat hesitantly.  
Ryan gestured with his head at the bike. "Nice bike. Where'd you get it?"  
"I stole it from that guy from _Punchout_."  
Ryan cleared his throat.  
"If you say the N word so much as one time I will _punch you_ to _Saturn_."  
"N-... _Nitric Acid_."  
Cole punched Ryan to Saturn anyways.

Cole Freeman and Jodie Holmes stopped in front of the door to Nathan Dawkins' office. When Jodie stepped forward to open the door, Cole caught her arm, making her turn back to look at him.  
"Little Princess... Whatever he says... be _careful_." He said.  
Jodie raised a brow and nodded just a little, confused by the warning. She stepped into Nathan's office.  
Nathan grinned. "Jodie! Glad you could make it."  
"Where's Norman?"  
"Not one for formalities, are you? You never were good at saying '_hello_'..."  
"Tell me where Norman is!"  
"Fine, I'll get right to the point. The CIA is willing to let you go. I'll hand you the check they wrote for you and your new passport... after I ask something of you."  
Jodie growled. "Don't make me repeat myself."  
Nathan pressed a button under his desk, and Jodie turned to her right. The wall opened up to reveal a giant contraption.  
"_Whaaaat_..." Jodie stared at it until the wall opened up more, revealing Norman Jayden standing at the control panel.  
"Do it, Jayden." Dawkins ordered.  
Jayden picked up a pair of glasses attached to the control panel of the machine.  
"See, these glasses, _ARI Version 2_ as the FBI calls it for short... It recognizes users by their eyes and shows them what they can see and in some cases, other things. Only Norman knows how it works. I guess he's used them before."  
Jodie gave Dawkins a look before glancing at the screen. The glasses, being mildly digital, took what Jayden could see and displayed it on the screen it was hooked up to.  
Jodie's heart sunk. In front of Jayden, in the circular "containment shield" that was the middle of the contraption, were Dawkins' wife and child.  
Nathan waved toward the containment shield happily, then looked at Jodie. He ignored how terrified she looked. "Please, Jodie. Until I can find a way to get the glasses to pick up what Norman can hear, I need _your_ help to hear my family..."  
Jodie slowly shook her head and took a step back. "No... Nathan, _no_...!"  
"Please! I beg of you! I haven't heard their voices since... since I heard them coming out of a little girl... _You_...!"  
Out of pure pity, Jodie hesitantly accepted. She held Nathan's hands, and Aiden connected her to his deceased loved ones.  
Dawkins watched Jodie's head fall slowly forward. "Hello...?"  
Her head slowly rose. She looked like she was in horrible agony. In the voice of Nathan's wife, she cried, "Nathan... please... let us go...! We're trapped here... Please, don't hurt us anymore... Let us go...! LET US _DIE_!"  
"_NO_!" Nathan ripped his hands away from Jodie, painfully yanking the connection from her. "SHE DIDN'T _SAY_ THAT! _YOU_ DID! SHE WOULD _NEVER_ SAY THAT! THEY WANT TO SEE ME, _I KNOW THEY DO_!" He roared.  
"You're... You're _keeping_ them here... They can't move on to the afterlife...!"  
"THEY WANT TO STAY WITH ME!"  
"You're _sick_, Nathan. I truly hope you find peace, but _I'm_ not helping you." She walked over to Jayden, taking the glasses off of him. "And _neither_ is _Norman_."  
Nathan watched as Jodie pulled Jayden to the door before he pulled out a tube of Triptocaine and whistled a bit.  
Jayden, already trembling like mad, turned to look. When he saw the Triptocaine, his nose started to bleed and he tried to turn back to grab it.  
"Norman, no! Come on!" Jodie shouted, not willing to turn back just so she wouldn't have to look at Nathan again.  
"J-Jodie, I _need_-"  
"Come _on_!" She yanked him out of the room, not understanding what he was rambling about.  
They made it a few feet towards the elevators before Jayden collapsed to his hands and knees, panting.  
"Norman?" Jodie knelt next to him.  
Jayden looked back in the direction they'd come.  
ARI tanks. Everywhere. They practically filled the hallway. Each one was aiming at him.  
Jodie wrapped her arms around Jayden quickly the moment he started screaming. "Norman, relax! What's wrong?! _Relax_! !"  
The elevator opened behind Jodie, so she turned... only to get the butt of a gun against her head hard enough to send her reeling into the darkness.

* * *

When Jodie Holmes awoke, the general was there in front of her. Her mind was cloudy and she could hardly think.  
"Good morning, Agent Holmes. About what we said before, about letting you go? Yeah, we can't do that. We also can't kill you, because we don't know what you'll do on the other side. So we're left with no choice but to do to you what we did to your mother - give you enough medication to put you into a permanent coma. Toodles!" He then left before Jodie could even groan a protest. Her eyes drifted shut, and opened later to see Nathan approaching her. Jayden was standing by the door, looking utterly horrified from worry as he stared at her.  
"Jodie, I've done it. I've found a way to get my family back... There will be no more death in this world. We'll _beat_ death! We'll let the afterlife into this world, and no one will have to fear death ever again!"  
Jodie weakly shook her head. "N-no... The afterlife... w-will consume... this world... ev-... everyone... will die..."  
"So what? Death will mean _nothing_! It'll all work out, Jodie. We'll show you... _right_, Norman?"  
Norman's head sunk in shame. Nathan walked out, pulling Jayden out with him, leaving Jodie all alone with Aiden, who was too weak at this point to do anything.

* * *

Cole Freeman and Ryan Clayton sat at a desk across from each other.  
"Ryan, I just have to send some emails real quick. Is that alright?"  
"Yeah, sure." Ryan picked up a nearby newspaper and started skimming. The two of them stayed silent doing their tasks until suddenly Norman Jayden ran into the room, gasping for breath.  
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat brought back."  
Jayden put his hands on his knees and gestured randomly. "J-Jodie...!" He said between gasps.  
"What about her?" Cole asked as he stood.  
"She... She... She's in trouble...! Follow me, we... we have t'be quick...!" Catching his breath a little, Jayden took off again. Cole shrugged at Ryan, and the two of them chased after Jayden.  
When they got down to the floor Jodie was on, Jayden gestured for them to follow his lead.  
He stood in front of the receptionist and did his typical fingers-locked-in-front-of-mouth gesture. "Hi."  
"... Hello."  
"... I'm Brian Smith. I have Cole Freeman and Ryan Clayt'n with me. I just have somethin' I wanna show them."  
Cole looked at Ryan, who shrugged a little.  
"Alright, Mr. Smith. You have proper credentials. Go in." The receptionist replied.  
Jayden and the other two men hurried through the halls until Jayden practically kicked a door open and rushed inside.  
"... J-Jodie...?"  
Jodie remained still on the table she was tied to. Her eyes were shut.  
"Jodie, can... Can ya heah me...?"  
Ryan and Cole walked into the room and saw how Jodie was unresponsive. Jayden stumbled over to Jodie and took the IV out of her arm, untying her from the upright table and holding her in his arms as he slumped to the floor. Cole and Ryan just watched in mild shock.  
Jayden shook Jodie a little. "Jodie... Jodie, come on...! Answah me... Fer _God's sake_, Jodie, answah me...!" He cried.  
Jodie didn't do a thing. It seemed that she was already in a coma.  
Before Jayden really knew it, tears were streaming down his face. They dripped onto Jodie's cheek as he moved her hair off of her pretty, sleeping face and sobbed.  
"Give her a _kiss_, Jayden. Maybe some _Sleeping Beauty_ shit will occur." Ryan said coldly.  
Jayden stopped and went still, his face blank even as tears continued to pour from his eyes out of grief.  
Ryan nearly jumped back when Jayden put Jodie down and shot up, aiming a gun at him.  
"Jayden!" Cole took a step forward, but before he put his foot down on the floor, the lights went off and the red alarm lights went on. The entire facility quivered before alarm bells went off in the halls.  
"What in the Hell...?!" Ryan said.  
"Funny ya should say that. Dawkins musta got rid of the containment shield. Can't believe he went through with it." Jayden replied emotionlessly.  
"My God... Run!" Cole shouted.  
"I'm _not_ leavin' Jodie." Jayden said.  
"Don't be stupid. She's _gone_, and she wouldn't want _this_ to happen. Come on! There may still be a chance to put the shield back up!" Cole grabbed Jayden and had to physically drag him along as the he and Ryan started running through the halls.  
Jayden eventually started running with them. '_Jodie... I'll avenge ya. I'll avenge ya no mattah what, even if I have t'die tryin'. I _promise_._'


End file.
